


Grow As We Go

by AvionExile



Category: Devil May Cry, Fairy Tail
Genre: Crossover, Demons, Explicit Language, F/M, Fluff, Gore, Healing, Hurt/Comfort, Magic, Original Character-centric, Romance, Violence, slight AU, some canon divergence
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-05
Updated: 2020-09-17
Packaged: 2021-03-05 20:15:25
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 8
Words: 25,643
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25721185
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AvionExile/pseuds/AvionExile
Summary: Laxus Dreyar grew up in a tumultuous household. Torn between the kindness and strength of his grandfather, and the weakness and cruelty of his father, he grew up the best he could. He’ll need to unravel his past to accept who he is.Mara was a byproduct of a scientist’s thirst for the ultimate demonic power, but she takes what she was given and forges it into power and positivity. She’ll need to find out for herself what it means to be human and demon, and following in her father’s footsteps, she might just get there.In a strange dance, the two come together and drift apart, meeting and parting ways again on the edges of their world’s greatest story, understanding each other in a way no one else can.
Relationships: Laxus Dreyar/Original Female Character(s)
Comments: 3
Kudos: 12





	1. Prologue: Acnologia's Rage

The dark dragon Acnologia opened its feral maw, charging to attack. It was drenched in power, and everyone on Tenrou Island could feel the inevitability of what was going to happen to them. The near-deafening sound of wings flapping, the rage of a dragon. It felt like sand in their souls. 

Mara’s skin buzzed with anticipation, this was her one chance, and if it went to plan, she may just rescue her guild in the process. Master looked at her, knowing the look in her eyes.

“Mara, what are you thinking, girl?” he asked, “You can’t think you can defeat it?”

“No,” she allowed, “I’ve gotten stronger but I’m not stupid. I figure I can buy you all some time to get the hell out of here. Please, Master, this may be my only shot.”

He considered her for a moment, noting her determination, her certainty, and he sighed.

“Very well, if you must do it.”

“Thank you, Master." she turns to the rest of them, the hopelessness and fear etched into their faces breaking her heart, "everyone get away from here while I distract this angry son of a bitch.”

“You can’t be serious!” an injured Laxus shouted from the ground, “you’ll get yourself killed!”

“That may be, but I have to try it,” determination filtered into her voice, quieting his antsy heart. Without another word or explanation, she leapt into the air, arms outstretched, performing the incantation. Acnologia’s great snout follows her movement, she had its attention. Her full concentration is on the beast before her, and it watches her, entranced.

With a blinding flash of light, Acnologia’s roar makes impact, just as Mara planned.


	2. Archives: Where it Begins

I can’t remember much before I was 5. I remember the cold feel of glass on my hand, the scratchiness of intubation, the power of electric shocks, and my own heartbeat pressing wildly into my chest. The first time I opened my eyes, however, I remember plain as day. My feet touched icy tile, I was dripping in sticky fluid, and a towel wrapped around me as I pried my eyes open, feeling the foreign sensation of air on the lenses. He was fussing over me, toweling me off, something I can now identify as wonder in his eyes.

Dante. My dad. 

When his eyes met mine, something in me lifted. It felt like being born. In a way, that’s exactly what it was. My hair stuck to me, too long. He pushed it out of my face gently, though his fingers were rough. 

“We’re going to get you out of here,” he’d said. I didn’t really know what it meant at that time, but the sounds never left my mind. I turned them over and over in my mind, testing them out on my tongue. It was the tone, these were the first words I could hear, and also the kindest. I didn’t feel particularly scared where I was, but the kindness and empathy dripping from his words hooked me. I still remember the feel of his jacket in my hands, the smell of gunpowder and leather, and the way his back would vibrate when he carried me and spoke. I just listened to him, entranced. 

Later he would explain to me that I was his daughter, but that some half-moth, half-scientist had slapped me together with bits of him and bits of another demon or half-demon something. That there was nothing to remember before that day because I’d lived in that tube my whole life. He scooped me up and took me home and that was that. Nero and Trish were there that day too. I remember them bickering. Dad was speaking lightly about bringing home a child. And they, rightfully, gave him an earful. 

My dad is a goofball, for sure. His mission seemed to be making sure I smiled more than I didn't. I can't really remember a time where I felt anything but happiness and warmth when he was around. He took so much time and care to learn who I was and what I would eat. I couldn't speak right away, and rather than getting frustrated he would just focus on easy yes/no questions and watch my face closely. He was patient and attentive, and we bonded really fast.

When dad had to be off on jobs, Trish or Nero or even Lady would come to watch me if they could, though Lady wasn't particularly thrilled when she did. She's considered me a bit of a chore, I think. She's not really the warmest person, and she's got her own stuff to focus on. 

Nero used to dote on me like a little sister. He still kind of does, even now that I'm grown. Kyrie has always been kind to me too, though being around me was tough on her when I was a kid. I had a lot of power and not a lot of control. For a normal, non-wizard human, a demonic wizard child can be a bit overwhelming. 

Trish was a bad influence. She's like the cool aunt who follows the beat of her own drum. She'd come over as she pleased and help me play tricks on my dad, and when she watched me for him, she was the one who helped me start training. Dad didn't want me to go into the family business, but Trish knew I had enough fight in me that it would come out one way or another. Training with Trish always pushes me to my limits.

The first six years of my life, or at least the first six I can remember, were perfect. 

. . .

Dad and I had a tradition, the day after he came back from a mission, we would go to the park and get a strawberry soft serve from our favorite ice cream cart. Like clockwork, every time we used to go. And this time was no different.

Dad picked me a flower off the path and said, "wait here while I get us some ice cream. Don't move, shortstack, I mean it."

I nodded and played with the flower he gave me. He wasn't gone long when the flower was torn from my hand. 

This kid was probably three or four years older than me, and his two buddies were around the same age. He was round, and he blocked out the sun just by standing in front of where I sat. I didn't move for a moment and just considered him, confused, as he crushed the flower and laughed. I didn't react much, simply because I didn't understand. 

"What's wrong with you?" He asked me, "why aren't you crying or throwing a fit or something? Freak. And why do you have old people hair?"

I'll never forget that "old people hair" comment. It dawned on me a while later, what he was saying, until that point, most of the people I spent time with had the same silver hair I did, so I didn't know what he meant. Dumb kid. I have excellent hair. 

Anyway, I didn't really know what to make of him, and I didn't react the way he wanted. At some point, I had stood up to match him, and he pushed me hard in the shoulders, knocking me to the ground. It hurt, and at this point, I might have cried, if it wasn't for the boy who stepped in. 

He was blonde, and a few years older than me. He stood between me and the group of bullies and shooed them off. 

"Why don't you pick on someone who can fight back?" He asked. I was entranced when lightning crackled in his fingers. The other boys scampered away, clearly afraid. When he turned back to me, he wasn't smiling. He was gruff, but he held a hand out anyway. 

"Are you here alone?" He asked. I shook my head. "It's better to stay with your parents with idiots like that running around," he saw the crushed flower at his feet and stepped over to the bush. Like it was nothing, he grabbed me a new one, placing it in my hand. "Someone like me may not always be there to bail you out."

All I could do was smile at him. I remember the pink cast to his cheeks.

My dad ran up holding two ice cream cones, and he handed me one. 

"Thanks, kid," he said, "you did me a big favor helping my girl out with those bullies." Dad made to hand him the second cone but the boy ignored it.

The boy scoffed and fired back, "maybe if you cared about your daughter more you wouldn't leave a child alone in public," he said dryly. My dad chuckled. 

"Lucky for me, I had a savior like you to teach me the error of my ways," he said, "I mean it, you need anything at all, kid, come find me at Devil May Cry."

"Laxus!" A voice called from afar, "Laxus, where are you! We're leaving!"

"Coming, Gramps!" He shouted back. He considered us one more time and took off. I never forgot him.

. . .

Once I was big enough to hold a practice sword without straining, Dad let me start learning how to fight. Initially, he’d sort of tried to keep me from it, but I pushed and pushed and got Trish on my side and pushed some more. Finally, he relented, though to be honest, it really didn’t take all that much before he gave in. It quickly became clear that he enjoyed it.

It was a rush, every new move, every new successful block, I felt like my blood was pumping in overdrive. Fighting just felt good. Dad’s methods were...erratic, but it makes sense, looking back. He is reactive, he pisses his enemies off and then reacts when they attack him. It’s what he taught me to do, to look for. 

“Tiny movements in their feet, the way their eyes point. It gets more and more obvious what an enemy is going to do when you get them angry enough.”

“Is that why you’re such a royal pain in the ass?” Nero asked him from his spot against the wall. Dad chuckled and flipped him the bird.

“So you just tease them until they attack you? Isn’t that kind of dangerous?” I remember asking. Dante laughed again and walked over to me. 

“Well, sure, if you don’t have a plan.”

And so it went. Dad would rush me with obvious cues, and I’d have to dodge or block. We trained like that for a long time before I landed my first counter-strike. I still remember the rush I got when my dumb little practice sword tapped Dad’s back after a successful dodge and the look of pride in his eyes when he scooped me up and declared that we were going to get celebratory ice cream.

Nero and Trish sometimes would train me if Dad was off on a job, which he did more and more as I got older. Trish focused on teaching me different kinds of weapons and how to use them and aim. “Some of this will come naturally because of your enhanced senses, but it doesn’t hurt to get some practice in,” she’d say. Nero usually just goofed off with me. We’d do some sparring, but usually, he’d race me or make an obstacle course out of the buildings around town. It was usually the two of us who got into the most trouble. More than once shopkeepers and other folks around Magnolia would yell at us to get off their roofs and out from under their carts. We would just laugh and run away, probably not apologizing enough.

My life was peaceful and perfect until my dad took a mission to Red Grave and never came back.

. . .

When I was around 9, going on 10, my demon powers started to bubble up. They’d shown themselves here and there, and it was clear in my reflexes, senses, and strength, but since Dad never found out what kind of demon I was besides him, he was never fully certain what I’d be able to do. When cuts started healing quickly, he wasn’t surprised, but again, that’s something he expected to come from him. A ridiculous series of events where my shoe wore through and I slipped on some wet shingles on a 4-story building, and I braced myself for a hard fall.

Only it never came I floated safely to the ground next to Nero, who had jumped back as soon as I slipped, ready to catch me, and I was so aware of myself. I could feel every part of my body twice, once the normal way you’d be aware of your arms or legs, and once in a new way, like I was outside of myself, holding my body in my hands. 

It was telekinesis. The magic power I got from whatever other demon was used to create me was telekinesis. He hid it well, but considering the gamut of demonic abilities out there, I think my dad was relieved it wasn’t something more outlandish. Some demons have, like, exploding acid warts or they’re just always on fire. This was manageable, passable for human. That was the goal on the day to day, he said, passing. Just being human enough to live a normal life.

At first, it was volatile. I did my best to control it, but none of the others used magic like that, so they didn’t have much guidance to give. Dad originally had the idea when he took a longer-term job to leave me with the local guild. Apparently he worked with the master in the past.

The first time I ever walked into Fairy Tail, I was amazed. The doors were enormous, and the guild hall was full of warm chuckles and an array of smells: paper, magic, paint, fire, electricity, wood, sweat, perfume. The history and identity of this place seemed to be deep in the walls. A few people watched us head inside, but Dad seemed to know where he was going, so no one came over and asked questions. It helps that Dad cuts an intimidating figure, little kid or none.

"Hi, Makarov," Dad said cooly, easily, to a short old man as appoached, "long time."

"Yes, since you helped us with that demon infestation outside town. How have you been, Dante? And who is this?"

I stepped forward at my dad’s urging, hands tightly gripped on my backpack, and Dad sighed. 

"This is my daughter, Mara. She's 10 and a bit of a handful."

"Sounds about right if she's your kid," Makarov grumbled. Dad laughed out loud.

"You're not wrong!" He caught his breath, "Actually, I came to ask for your help. Mara’s coming into her magic and it’s kind of volatile yet. I've got a long job coming up, and I'm going to need all of my compatriots to come with, so no one is left who can watch Mara with her magic being uncontrollable like this. It should just be a couple weeks. There's some demonic shit all over Red Grave that needs cleaning up. Do you think she could hang out at the guild until I get back? I'll submit it as an official job request if you want."

Makarov waved him off. "No need, I'm happy to look out for her for a while, we have a new member about her age who could use the company."

"Thank you," Dad said, suddenly losing some of that cool he always has, "Can we grab a drink in your office or something, I just want to give you some background and explain the job a bit."

Makarov nodded and they left me to myself with a simple directive to " _stay put_." A familiar scent clouded my head, like electricity and sweat. An older boy stalked past me, a sour look on his face and magic headphones blaring in his ears. He didn't give me a second glance as he went, not even when his shoulder smacked mine (rude), but I recognized him as the boy from the park long ago. 

"Don't mind him," a voice came from my left, and I turned to see a brown-haired girl about my age glaring at the guy who passed, "Laxus is always in a sour mood. I'm Cana."

"I'm Mara," I answer. "So you're in the guild?"

"Yep! I've been in Fairy Tail for a year now!"

"What kind of magic do you do?" I asked. Looking back, that's not the most tactful way to break the ice, but it didn’t matter much to kids. Cana smiled and pulled out a deck of cards. She drew a card off the top and manifested a bouquet and handed it to me. It was real, I still remember the smell to this day. 

"What about you? Can you do magic?" she asked me. My magic was still fairly hard to control, but I nodded and thought it through. I concentrated on the bouquet in my hands and it floated between us. It was a struggle to balance the force between being enough to lift the flowers and enough to crush them. Cana’s eyes sparkled. 

"That's really cool! I heard telekinetic magic takes a lot of control!"

I nodded again, "I'm still practicing, but I hope I can get really good at it! Right now I have trouble controlling it."

We became fast friends while Dante and Makarov talked in the office above. Cana and I clicked immediately. She was the first girl I met that was my age, and I was the first girl her age to join the guild. 

“Mara,” Cana said, and I remember this dose of mischief in her eyes, “do you think we could try something?”

“What are you thinking?”

“If you can float my cards, maybe I can activate them remotely! Try floating this one over that table!”

It had a picture of a rain cloud on it, and I floated it where she said, though admittedly it took a lot of effort to stop it where she indicated. As soon as she activated it, a rain cloud formed above the man who was sitting there and started pouring on him. He started yelling “Cana, what did I say about testing your magic on me while I’m eating?”

Cana laughed, “run, Mara! Quick!”

“You got us in trouble!” I said back, though the smile stretching my face made my accusation fall quite short of intimidating.

. . .

Dad left for Red Grave right after, and two months went by. I didn't notice the time often, Cana and I filled our days trying out new magic and running around the guild like the children we were. It wasn't until Nero came back alone that I started to worry.

"Not coming back…?" I had trouble processing Nero's words. Sure, Dad had been gone longer than usual, but forever?

"I'm sorry, there was nothing I could do," Nero's good hand sat on my shoulder, his thumb rolling over it, comforting me and him, I think, at the same time. I didn't really realize he was missing an arm now until much later, but he's admitted since then that he hid it from me. 

I remember my eyes watered after a moment, but before the first tear fell, he pulled me against his shoulder so I could cry. 

"He told me to tell you he was sorry, and that he loves you." 

I remained there for a moment, biting her lip and trying to remain quiet. "Do you think," I sniffed, clearing my throat as it caught on my words, "that the master will let me stay?" Nero's eyes widened, he turned to look at me as I stepped back from him. "I’m still not good at my power yet, and I don’t want to hurt Kyrie."

He hugs me again, this time probably more for himself. "Yeah, he already offered,” he says, “I'm sorry Mara. You know we'd love for you to live with us."

"I know. We're family."

It was something he'd said to me a year or so before this, though he hadn't been aware of how true the statement was at the time. He cleared his throat, “the old man also let me know that you’re welcome to join the guild if you want to stay here, but it’s totally up to you.”

“I do. I have a lot of new friends here, and,” and that boy is here, I stopped myself from saying it, but I could see in his eyes that Nero made a mental note to tease me about it later, “and someone has to keep dad’s shop up while he’s gone.” I also don’t say until he gets back, but I think he knew I meant it. 

Later on, Nero would tell me how bizarre it was, going from having no blood relatives to speak of, to this. In his head, Nero knew nothing had changed. I was already family to him--he’d meant what he told me--but in his heart, he felt it. The difference just knowing it made. The way his heart suddenly felt heavier and more full. The guilt of not being able to help me the way he wanted. The splendid weight family has in your soul. 

“I’ll visit all the time,” Nero said seriously, “I mean it, I’m going to come check up on you so much you’ll get sick of me. So be good, and don’t give the old man too much trouble.”

“I won’t,” I said, finally releasing his jacket. 

Nero puts a hand on my head, ruffling my hair just a little bit, and I could see the sadness in his eyes, posture, and feel it reflected in my own. We’d get through this somehow. 

And I’d bring him back.


	3. Archives: Growing Pains

I threw myself into training, quickly becoming a working member of the guild. My telekinesis and strength built up quickly, and with tireless work and help from the others in the guild I gained control over it. I didn’t tell everyone it was because I wasn’t “using magic” the way they were, that it was all innate. Their advice helped either way. Only Cana and Makarov knew my circumstances entirely. The rest of the guild just knew that Dad had left me here, intending to return, but he never came back.

Cana moved into Devil May Cry with me not long after I found out Dad wasn’t coming back. We shared secrets before bed and never spent a moment apart. Becoming official partners, we took jobs around town together, sharing the profits and building our skills as a team. I was able to add an extra kick to Cana’s shuriken cards, or help her position a particular card prior to it manifesting something. Cana could ensure our communication across distances with her communication cards, and could bring out clones of me to help confuse enemies in a melee. We were still young and didn’t take too many dangerous jobs, but when we did, we kept each other safe and used wit over brute strength. 

We even began developing a Unison Raid, _Tarot Lottery_. Using a card to draw an opponent’s magic energy out, Cana draws 3 cards quickly, and, floating in front of her in the basic 3-card layout, whatever cards she draws are applied to my physical attack. So if Cana draws “Summoned Lightning,” my fist is imbued with lightning. We figured it out when I targeted myself with one of her cards by accident and was able to channel that energy, though it took a lot of practice before we were able to perfect the timing so I didn’t just take damage instead of channeling the attack.

At the guild, you’d never find one of us apart from the other, even as other kids started joining the guild.

Nero made good on his promise to check up on me often. It seemed like every other week he was in town for a weekend. We’d train in the basement, and Cana would sometimes watch, or she’d read a magazine upstairs. Nero taught me about my strength and how best to use it. Trish stopped by with her regular frequency, spending time training as well and giving me pointers on what to work on while she was gone. A portion of my earnings went to equipment for the basement, after a while it always wore out, so I ended up replacing punching bags, barbells, and mats frequently. Learning from Trish and Nero meant that I ended up adopting a style that favored my legs, using kicks and artful holds. From Trish, I learned an agile and slippery style of fighting that was meant to give her an edge even when she’d lose in a straight-up battle of force. Paired with the tactics Dad taught me, it became difficult to trap me.

I worked hard to be a valuable member of the guild in exchange for everything they gave and taught me. No one seemed to notice or mind the demonic energy I knew flowed off me. At least, not until Gray Fullbuster joined the guild.

Something about me pricked at him, though he wasn’t adept enough to recognize that my “magical energy” was actually demonic in nature, Makarov said he was likely extra sensitive because of some events in his past. Because of that, he tended to be a bit standoffish with me. I never pressed him, however Cana developed a chip on her shoulder about the ice kid, and it made her irritable when he was around us. But I can’t really blame him. If you can tell the difference, demonic energy is _unsettling_.

Unfortunately, Laxus’s standoffishness also continued. I used to try to get him to talk, but he usually blew me off or told me to leave him alone, even as Master scolded him. He was strong, powerful, and I admired him. The more jobs he completed, notoriety he gained, I followed his progress closely and proudly. Looking back it’s kind of pathetic. If such a thing existed, I would’ve been president of the Laxus fan club. I even used to defend him to the other guild members if they said something against his disposition or motivations. 

For all that, he only ever interacted with me as he did with anyone else: to tell me how weak and worthless I was, tear at what little confidence I had. At the time, I dismissed it easily, always remembering the boy who’d chased off bullies and given me a new flower. It was one of my most vivid memories, and it stuck with me even as his comments stung my ego. I suppose part of it was that I knew what happened to him, how his father was ejected from the guild and why. I imagined he was as lost as I was when my Dad first disappeared.

“I don’t know what you see in that guy,” Cana would say, “all he does is make you feel crappy.”

“He’s a good person,” I would insist, “it’s just hidden underneath all the prickliness.”

. . .

“Oh, leave him be,” I said to Natsu, who had just been antagonizing Laxus for his attitude, trying to bait him into a fight, “he just got back from a mission, at least let him relax before you start picking a fight.”

Natsu growls unintelligibly and Laxus scoffs, addressing me coldly, as usual, “mind your business, I don’t need a weakling to defend me from a child.” His words stirred a fire in Natsu more, and he made to leap over the table and attack him, but I grabbed his scarf, keeping him firmly at my side.

“All the same, Natsu, settle down,” I said easily, smiling into Laxus’ sneer.

Natsu takes a couple deep breaths and sits, his eyes never leaving the lightning wizard as he disappears up the stairs to his couch. 

“Don’t let him rile you up,” I told him, letting go when I could see the little dragon’s muscles relax. Happy floated nearby, nodding vigorously. “It’s not worth the damages you’ll have to pay to the guild hall.”

Natsu calmed some and matched me with an easy smile, but I could tell he was still annoyed, “why do you let him talk to you that way?”

“He’s just putting on,” I excused, “he’s a good guy deep down. I can tell he doesn’t mean what he says.”

“Sure sounds like he means it,” Natsu says, rolling his eyes and leaning heavily on a palm. I just ruffled his hair. Before I could change the subject, Master called me, Erza, and Laxus to his office.

. . .

“Are you kidding me?” Laxus snorted as he spoke, a vitriol lacing his words, “so not only do I have to take Erza, but this little girl, too? I can handle this job on my own.”

It had been a while since Laxus had been so directly mean. I was proud of myself for not wincing.

“Laxus, you will not treat Mara this way!” Erza said, rushing to my defense as usual. “She’s come a long way in her training, it’s right that we should bring her on a job with us so she can get some more experience!”

Erza’s strength of body and character were always something I admired, and her acknowledgement of my growth made my heart swell. I’d been working hard the past 5 years, and I really had grown a lot. 

Even so, I cut in to defend him, as usual.

“It’s fine, Erza, he’s not wrong,” I said. Perpetually on his side, even as he rolls his eyes and mumbles something vulgar, “I’ll do my best not to get in the way. Thank you for the opportunity.”

Master sighed, “Laxus, I’m doing this for you as well. You could stand to learn a thing or two about teamwork and valuing your fellow guild members. Mara already excels in this capacity. It’s true you could do this mission alone, but that’s not how you develop the guild and make it stronger. Bring Mara, show her how it’s done. Prove that you can be a leader. You might just learn something from her, as well.”

Laxus scoffs and heads for the door. “Let’s get a move on, then. We’re losing daylight.”

It was an S-class job, but only just. There was an unruly pack of monsters at the edge of town causing trouble for travelers. They weren’t incredibly strong, but their numbers and their den being buried in the back of a cave made it riskier than it should’ve been. At this point in my life, I was around 16 and plenty strong, though like any teenager, I was inexperienced and still growing into my body. 

“Just listen to what we say and it’ll all work out,” Erza said with a smile as we finally approached the cave. Laxus remained silent, paying us little mind. “You’re ready for this, Mara, no need to be nervous.”

I remember being shocked she could tell, but she didn’t quite have it right. I wasn’t nervous about the creatures in the cave, I was nervous about proving myself. That lack of confidence was clear enough regardless of the cause, and her words, rather than reassuring me, made my heart pound.

“Just stay back while I do the job. Erza can tell the old man you helped if you want, I don’t care, just don’t get in my way.”

I nod and look to Erza next, who is shaking her head and following him. “Laxus, let’s at least talk through a strategy, Master said we should do this as a team--”

“Screw the old man and his teamwork. I’m strong enough to do this on my own, you two should take jobs at your level and quit getting in my way--”

“No one is disputing your strength--”

“Guys,” I tried to cut in, but no one heard my small presence over their argument the first time.

“When I run this guild there won’t be room for weakne--”

“You’ve got to be kidding me--”

Instead of trying to speak again, I pushed a telekinetic wave around them, brushing past them enough to get their attention, but ultimately pushing the monsters back. Turns out we’re dealing with a pack of demons, actually. Though I wasn’t going to do any explaining on that account, they pass for normal creatures, like a cross between a vulcan and a lizardman, but there’s no mistaking the stench coming off them or the dark aura. 

“Time to focus!” I said, holding the enemies back as Erza requipped a blade and cut into a group I’d immobilized. I felt the static of Laxus’ magic as it brushed mine during his attack and I had to work hard to forget the sensation of it and get back to battle.

“Great work, Mara,” Erza says after we work through the first wave, my heart still pounding from the effect of Laxus’ electricity. He’s already halfway to the cave entrance, no words of encouragement or otherwise. Silence was refreshing actually, and I took it to mean I had done something right. Erza and I followed Laxus into the cave and she produced a torch. My eyes were sensitive enough that the torch in my vision actually made it more difficult for me to see, but I kept to my orders, staying back and supporting as they did the heavy lifting. Awestruck as I was to be on a mission with them, I was very content to watch them work and learn all I could. 

Until we got attacked from the rear. I smelled it coming and ducked before a claw could take my head off. I ignored it when it seemed to hiss “ _Sparda_ ” and hoped the others wouldn’t pick up on it, and pushed a swift uppercut through its head. “Company!” I said.

“Here too, it looks like we’ve gotten to the center of this nest,” Erza replied.

“Smells like it, too,” Laxus said under his breath, though I didn’t have long to ruminate on it before another two attacked me. We’d entered into a wide cavern, and no longer had the benefit of a single passageway to keep track of. We backed into the middle instinctively and stood with our backs together, surrounded by the creatures. I still felt the blood of the one I killed cooling on my arm, and the smell was dizzying. Erza noticed it quickly.

“Mara, are you hurt?” she asked. 

“No, it’s from the one I killed. Don’t worry about me!”

There wasn’t any more time to discuss. The circle began to close and we acted in unison. I fought the way I’d been trained, alternating magic and physical attacks. It was a rush to think I was _contributing_ in a fight alongside Erza and Laxus. Until the boss showed up.

Laxus had his hands full with a couple of the creatures who were grounding his lightning somehow when the ceiling opened up. I caught everything I was able to as the cavern above us emptied onto us. Even more creatures poured through the opening, including one giant one. 

“Listen, that big one is probably the leader of this nest,” Erza shouted, her flame armor a burning beacon, “if we take it out, we’ll confuse the rest of them and this should get easier. It looks like these are all of them!”

I only grunted a response. Holding up everything that fell, the rocks, the creatures, the boss, was taking its toll and all of my concentration. A demon caught me by surprise and nearly swept my feet, though at the last second I was able to leap over the attack and kick the creature into oblivion, my concentration broke long enough that I dropped everything for a moment. It was a split second, and I caught everything before it could hit the ground, but it was long enough to

  * a) Decrease the aerial distance between the next wave and us
  * b) Pelt everyone, friend and foe alike, with rocks. No one appreciated it.
  * c) Catch Laxus unawares and give his enemies an opening to injure him.



“Damn it,” he swore, taking a crackling palm of lightning to his side, where the demon’s claws had opened him up, cauterizing it, “what did I say about staying out of the way?”

I was shaken already from the effort to catch everything after avoiding that attack, and Laxus’ comment stung. I blinked tears out of my eyes and tried to ignore myself. I pushed everything I was holding against the back wall, and slammed as much of the small fry on the ground as I could to follow. The rocks penetrated a few of the weaker ones, killing them, but the stronger ones were left alive. I probably cleared out a third of the rabble, but I was totally spent after. That was the first time I’d used my magic that way, and it was exhausting. I continued to stay back, having fallen to one knee after expending that much power. 

Erza danced through them, the most beautiful swordsmanship I’d ever seen. Laxus’s lightning crackling around them lit her like the fairy she was. I’ll never forget how it looked. They were both so strong, I was mesmerized. 

The boss finally came to as they were fending off smaller demons, and it was huge. It towered nearly three times Laxus’ height and probably ten times his bulk. I gathered what was left of my energy to block the axe it tried to drop on them and managed to catch it just above Laxus’ head. He stared at it for a moment before channeling his electricity through it, frying the beast almost instantly. The smell of burnt flesh rose around, and Erza finished the small fry off in a couple of easy strokes as they turned to flee.

I couldn’t move, I was completely spent. But overall, despite the unexpected, we’d done it. And I had contributed! I was so proud of myself and buzzing with adrenaline and ego. There was no way they wouldn’t be able to acknowledge me now.

“Is everyone alright?” Erza asked as she approached me. I nodded.

“Yeah, I’m not injured, just tired,” I answered, “you?”

“I’m alright. A few scrapes, but nothing notable.”

I remembered the claw Laxus took to the side and suddenly I was much more aware that some of that burnt flesh was his. “Laxus, how’s your wound?”

“I’m fine,” he said curtly, pushing past us, “let’s turn the quest in.” 

As we stepped into the light, I noticed him favoring his side. Instinctively I ran over to him.

“Hey, that doesn’t look good, can you just take a break for a second and let us look at it? I brought some aid supplies,” I was already reaching through my pack when Laxus grabbed my wrist hard enough to hurt a normal person. A demon like me, well, it wasn’t much, but the pressure and intention was not lost on me.

“Stop,” he growled it, he was usually angry, “are you really that stupid, that useless?” he said. “Your mistake caused this. Your incompetence provided the opening for this to happen!”

“Laxus, that’s not really fair,” Erza began, but he continued talking over her.

“One thing, I told you, ‘stay out of my way,’ and you couldn’t even manage that. You’re irritating, a worthless girl trying to punch way above her weight class. Stop following me, stop defending me like you know me. I don’t need you and I don’t want you, and when I run this guild, soft, emotional weaklings like you will be the first to go.”

He’d always been somewhat abusive, I’d come to expect his standard vitriol, but it was always general enough for me to separate myself from it. To do the mental gymnastics to convince myself that he didn’t mean it like that or something else was bothering him. This was the first time he’d been so pointedly cruel to me specifically. Some mix of the sting of his words, the exhaustion I felt, and the pain of losing that small dream pushed the tears out of my eyes as soon as he released my arm with a sharp shove. I replaced my backpack and followed silently at a distance, willing myself to cry silently, as I had no hope of stopping myself. The salt burned the scrapes on my face from the fighting, and Erza’s arm sliding around my shoulders did nothing to help. 

If Laxus knew I was crying, he ignored it very thoroughly.


	4. Archives: To Become Strong

_I don’t need you and I don’t want you, and when I run this guild, soft, emotional weaklings like you will be the first to go._

For the next week, I couldn’t help but play the words over in my head, Laxus, injured because of my mistake, angry at me, actively seeking to remove me from his sight and the guild. I cried pretty constantly in my limited time alone, from a mix of heartbreak, sadness, and frustration, but I hadn’t been able to talk to anyone about it. Not even Cana. I just kept it in, hands in fists on the kitchen table, forearms grinding into the wood, nails pressing crescents of angry red into my palms. My heart ached, and looking back I think I was overwhelmed with a deep sense of embarrassment and distress. Erza told me to ignore him, berated Laxus openly for being harsh, but never disagreed that I was weak. “It was your first mission” doesn’t mean “he’s wrong, you’ve grown, you pulled your weight.” Back then, I didn’t have enough confidence to deal with what amounted to two of my heroes looking down on me. 

I told myself I had to grow up, get stronger. I couldn’t expect things to turn out alright anymore just because I wished they would. Weak people can’t protect themselves, and they certainly can’t drag their fathers out of hell. It made sense, painful though it was to admit.

I smelled Nero before I heard him enter. I wiped my eyes quickly, but I was aware I couldn’t get rid of the redness, couldn’t get rid of the smell of salt or the tearstains on my sleeves. There was no getting away from this. 

“Mara!” he called from the storefront in singsong, “Where’s my favorite cousin? I could’ve sworn I let her know I was coming ahead of time, as she requested,” he called, teasing. The smile in his voice calmed my nerves some, but did nothing for my heart. I knew he could tell where I was. 

“What are you doing in here? You don’t cook,” he asks, walking into the kitchen and standing across the table from me. He notices my red eyes immediately but doesn’t immediately point it out. Instead, he crossed his arms and waited to see if I’d talk.

“Nero, remember when you said you’d train me, like _really_ train me? When I was strong enough to control my magic, you’d take me to Fortuna and I could follow you on jobs?” 

He nodded, moving a hand up to his chin, “I do. Do you feel like that time is now?” I nodded. “Did something happen to bring this about?”

I bit back an eyeroll. I knew he could tell something had happened, but I pressed on as matter-of-factly as I could.

“It’s just time, I need to keep getting stronger and I won’t get the experience I need working normal wizard jobs,” I said, and I tried to keep it casual, but he saw through me. He always sees through me, “and someone got hurt because I couldn’t hack it.” 

“Someone important to you?” he asked. Against my will I blushed. I’m sure he had it all pegged after that. He scratched the back of his neck and sighed.

“That jerk probably deserved it, but I know what you’re feeling,” sighing again, he rounded the table, placing a hand on my shoulder. “You have gotten a lot stronger, you know. Don’t discount what you’ve already accomplished. It’s been months since the last time we trained together, so I wouldn’t be surprised if you’ve gotten even stronger.” When I didn’t budget, he sighed, but there was a smile on his face. “As long as it’s okay with the old man, you can absolutely come chill with me for a while.”

It breathed new life, new purpose into me. “I just need to run to the bathroom first, then we can go to the guild and ask.” 

You know when you look back at yourself at sixteen and everything makes you cringe? I admit I was being a bit dramatic, but at that time, it really felt like I was adrift in the vast ocean and being offered a lifeboat.

. . .

I hesitated before entering the guild, stopping at the door and taking a deep breath before I entered. Natsu and Gray were in the middle of a heated argument, with Erza quickly approaching. They stopped when I entered and several people greeted me warmly, as usual. Gray threw me a strained smile and nod, but it was to be expected, I didn’t hold it against him. 

Erza looked to her sympathetically, and I saw her eyes flick over her shoulder to Nero. Typically, when Nero visited, he didn’t come by the guild. A few times, if he dropped in unannounced, he’d stop by Fairy Tail to pick me up, but otherwise no one knew much about him. He smiled awkwardly and followed me in, coming to heel as I stopped in front of the group, meeting Erza’s questioning gaze. Cana beat me to the explanation by acting like everything was normal, bless her.

“Hey, Nero,” Cana said with a friendly smile stepping out from behind Erza. “How’s Kyrie?”

“She’s good, she says hi.”

“Tell her I said hi back, and that I miss her cooking,” Cana’s face shifted to an expression of longing and Nero chuckled.

“I’ll let her know.”

“What brings you to the guild hall?” Natsu asked him, looking back over to me as well. I sighed and tried to answer calmly and casually, even though my heart was beating out of my chest.

“I need to train more comprehensively. We’re going to talk to Master about me taking an extended trip to Fortuna. I’m not sure how long.”

Cana stepped forward frowning, her eyes at the rail, and the lightning mage I could smell napping above. She held my arms at their elbows, giving me a reassuring squeeze, “this is pretty sudden, you sure about this, Mara?”

“Yeah, Cana,” I said, trying to show my determination as much as I could as I let my arms fall to her elbows in kind, “I have a lot of potential, but I don’t know what to do with it. Nero’s going to help me get the hang of things. Get more comfortable with my power.”

“Whatever you need,” Cana said, smiling, “just make sure you call often or I’ll go crazy.”

“Can do,” I saluted, returning her smile. Cana chuckled, though tears brimmed at the edges of her eyes. 

I parted ways with the group, bringing Nero upstairs to meet with the Master. I couldn’t help but think back to the last time he walked this flight of stairs, to tell Makarov my dad wasn’t coming back. Six years have passed since then. 

It took all of my concentration not to spare even a glance at Laxus while he napped on the couch. It was a habit of mine to greet him when I saw him, though he bristled every time. I clenched my jaw and did not allow myself to react. I picked up my speed just a bit to get to Master’s office more quickly.

“Master, do you have a minute?” I asked, poking my head tentatively around the corner. 

“Of course, child, come in,” he motioned to us both, smiling gently. “Hello, Nero, long time.”

“Yeah, hey,” he said, scratching the back of his neck.

“Master,” I tried to sound strong and serious, taking a seat in front of him, “I think it’s time for me to go train with Nero. I’m not quitting the guild, I just want to take some time to get stronger. Nero’s the only one who can fully understand my power and teach me how to use it. I’ve reached my limit the way I am now.”

Makarov’s fingers play at adjusting the stack of papers in front of him while he thought about what I said. On the one hand, he knows the kind of work Nero does, and that this training would undoubtedly be more dangerous than what he’d let me do, but on the other hand, I think he knew what I needed. He’d closed his eyes for a moment to think, and when they open, he looks between us. I glanced at Nero who met my eyes, and we’re both holding the same posture, biting the same portion of our lips. If anyone was trying to prove we were related, here’s exhibit A.

After a lifetime, Master speaks.

“If this is what you need, you can absolutely do it. You’re not a prisoner here, the guild will be here when you return. Just be careful,” he says. Makarov rises, pulling something from his desk. He presses the communication lacrima into my hand.

“Hold on to this, and check in now and again to let me know how you are. If you’re going to worry this old man, then I should at least know what you’re up to.”

“Sure,” I turned to Nero, “I’m going to go say goodbye to everyone and then we can go home and pack. I don’t want to wait.”

“Sounds good, kiddo.” Back then, that nickname grated on me.

“Thanks, old man,” Nero says.

“Keep her safe, or I’ll make you wish you did,” Makarov says threateningly. “She’s important to me, like one of my own children.”

“You’re not the only one,” Nero chuckles awkwardly, “but you don’t have to tell me that. I don’t want to see her hurt either.”

“I’ll be fine,” I said as I left the room to make my goodbyes, but there was no confidence in it. 

I made my goodbyes and sprinted to Devil May Cry, Nero close behind me. I ignored Laxus fully, even when he came downstairs for a drink as I left. I could sense people noticing, I usually at least say something to Laxus when he’s around, but I didn’t let it move me. When I was packed and I finished a goodbye note to Cana, who would have the place to herself while I was gone, I took Nero’s hand and teleported us both to Fortuna. 

The minute we stepped out of the teleportation spell, Nero stumbled back, landing on his ass, “I will never get used to that, fuck!” 

I only chuckled, “dizzy?” Nero gave me a very dedicated middle finger, which boosted my chuckle to a laugh. 

. . .

For the first few months, we stayed around Fortuna. I was antsy, and I know Nero could tell, but he told me his last job kept him away for a month, he wanted some time at home. I suspect that he wanted to evaluate my progress and start on some small fry. He keeps Fortuna pretty clean, so there hasn’t been too much heavy demon activity in all the time since the incident.

Kyrie was happy to have us both around more often, and while I stayed with them, Nero took fewer and fewer distant jobs. Over time, I’d start joining Trish, and even Lady occasionally so he could spend more time at home. Despite her nurturing tendencies, the two didn’t have plans about any kids or anything. But that doesn’t mean they weren’t sickeningly cute sometimes, and that doesn’t mean they didn’t enjoy some time alone. 

Nero was true to his word, and every other week, he nagged me about calling Master. I stayed in touch with Cana most often and without prompting, her communication cards connected us whenever we missed each other (which was often, I don’t know why I thought I could just not have Cana around for a long time). I ran into a few members on jobs here and there, but usually just for brief encounters. 

I stayed with Nero and Kyrie (in between jobs) for three years, and there’s nothing quite like real battle to make you stronger. 

. . .

And here I am. Three years of experience and strength running through me, finally heading back to the guild. My heart aches for home, and I’m hitting dead end after dead end in my research for ways to bring my dad back from Hell. I’ll have more access to magical texts and theories if I return to the guild and take official jobs. I might even be able to rise to a place of enough influence that the council will grant me access to their libraries. It’s worth a shot.

Conveniently (she said sarcastically), a mysterious tower erected itself near a town on my way back to Magnolia, and the villagers claimed they could see demons in the windows. Morrison got wind of it and dropped me a line. 

When I get to the tower, I find that it’s certainly demonic. The acrid stench is clue enough, but the ridiculously macabre carvings on every surface are what clinches it. Seriously, is there nothing better to do in Hell than carve intricate images of torture onto things? Is _that_ a form of torture in Hell, forcing someone to carve all that? Do those demons with blades for appendages do it? Even after years of seeing this stuff, I’m still impressed by how _unnecessary_ all of it is. Seems like all demons are drama addicts. Even my short range of evidence (me, my dad, Nero, Trish) seems to point that direction. 

The tower layout is simple enough, it’s a behemoth structure with one clear path: a spiraling stairway up, leading to the pungent source of the demonic power leaking out from it. 

I’m climbing higher and higher, following that demonic scent, leaping over the chasms that open as traps in the staircase cause steps to crumble. It’s not every day a building comes to our side from Hell, there’s gotta be something, some library. Somewhere they keep their notes and schematics. Something here will tell me how to save my dad from Hell. The damn tower can’t have risen from nothing. I gotta be honest, Hell should learn a few new tricks for how to leak into the human world, this whole giant phallic towers thing is _tired_. 

When the smell of rot grows too powerful for me to ignore, I surmount the staircase. I’m right next to a closed door, and the scent is bleeding out of the cracks in the door. When I open it, the smell assaults me, making my eyes water.

The room is totally barren except for some marks and stains on the floor and walls. A magic circle carved into the floor with blades marking its points. Perfect symmetry, and in the middle, a man dressed in a black cassock with ornate black leather armor over it. The finery is detailed in silver, and it makes him look deadly.

“Is it you who dragged this tower up out of the ground?” I ask slowly.

“No,” the voice is smooth and seems to come from everywhere. When he turns to me, still standing at the center of his magic circle, he folds a notebook in half and places it in a breast pocket, “I brought this tower from Hell.”

“‘From Hell,’” I return, crossing my arms. “Something bothering you over there? Wanna talk about it? It’s a good deal, I don’t often offer free consultations.” Shut up, Mara, this guy is clearly dangerous. Don’t egg him on.

“I’m in no more need of that discussion than you are, Descendent of Sparda. Or perhaps part of you is. The part that wants to open Hell and see what crawls out.”

Okay. Creepy.

“I’m definitely not interested in anything crawling anywhere,” I return, “especially not if they smell like you do.” I wave a hand in front of my face theatrically, and he sighs. 

“Mara, you may have been raised by Dante, but you should be careful how quickly you insult your opponents. You haven’t his strength.”

Keep cool, Mara. Also, fuck this guy. 

“Ooh, I think you might be projecting,” I say, my voice much smoother than I would expect at this revelation that this guy—this demon, clearly—knows who I am.

“Ah, well,” he presses his two hands together, and points his fingers toward me, “I suppose if you lie to yourself for long enough, even your truest nature can become obscured to you. I have no desire to fight you, Descendant of Sparda. I have other, more pressing matters to attend to, and you’re not ready to face me as it is.”

“I’m sick of people underestimating me,” I jump before I know what happened. I draw my fist back, charging it with telekinesis and getting ready to throw my body into it. Just before I reach him, he disappears. Before I can react, teleport away, spin, I feel a sharp impact to my side, and my body breaks through the wall. The sunlight blinds me, and I catch myself, floating pathetically and gaining my bearings.

“That’s quite enough, Mara, dear. I’m sure we’ll cross blades someday, but today is not that day,” he says smoothly from the opening he created with my body. Frustrated, I rush him again. Probably not the best idea I’ve had.

I draw my pistol and fire, causing him to leap back with each step, giving me enough room to land on the floor back in the room, now bathed in sunlight from the opening in the wall. With the added lighting, I can see the red tinge on the etching in the floor, and the hooks in the wall holding up chains and manacles crackling with power.

“What is this place?” I ask, keeping my weapon even with his eyes, he is unconcerned.

“This is a room of atrocities. Crimes committed in the name of Zeref. Can you not smell the malice soaking the walls, the floor? Demons, sacrificed to bleed hatred into the walls. To give this construction power, intent.”

“To resurrect Zeref…” I finish, taking in the pattern on the floor, tracing its lines with my eyes, memorizing it. He shakes his head.

“More specifically, to pull Zeref out of Hell,” he says pointedly. “Though the logic in it is flawed. Zeref isn’t in Hell. You know as well as I do, demons don’t come from a place where bad people go when they die.”

My eyes don’t leave him, and I’m impressed with myself for keeping my face even. 

“So if this Tower won’t resurrect Zeref, then what will it do?” I ask him down the barrel of my pistol, he sighs.

“The evidence is clear, this tower was built many years ago, vile sins were committed right here at the top that gave it the vast dark and hateful energy it needed, and here it returns, no Zeref,” he takes a few steps and I maintain my aim, following him, “I’ve memorized my notes, child,” I’m not a _child_ , and I’m certainly not this guy’s child, “you can have them, if you want to know.”

He throws the booklet from his breast pocket at my feet and then disappears in a pool of darkness, stepping into it as easily as breathing. When his scent is gone from the room, I holster my weapon and pick the book up off the ground. In clear handwriting, it details the research and methods to open a portal to hell. Somehow, this crazy son of a bitch has exactly the information I need, with detailed notes from failed attempts. 

What the fuck?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And with that, the backstory is donezo. I'm jumping harder into present-day next chapter, thanks for reading so far!


	5. Homecoming I

I hesitate before the doors. This is it, the moment I return for good. I remember the last time I hesitated at the doors, three years ago. Nero was in step behind me, and I carried with me all my weaknesses and doubts. I was heavy with it, sick with it. Now, I can feel the strength thrumming just under the surface of my skin. Training and experience and just growing into my body a bit more had an insane impact on my strength and abilities. 

I check my clothes and straighten up, adjusting my red leather jacket, checking the laces on my red boots, pulling my belt and holster up the inches they’d sagged. No dust on my black pants or shirt. No bra peeking obnoxiously from the edge of my tank top. My hair is in order, falling just below my shoulder blades and not too tangled. I don’t have a mirror to check my face, but I did a simple eyeliner today, so I’m confident I’m still looking the way I want. So why is my heart racing so hard? I can almost feel it in my throat.

As I open the doors, the scents of all my friends roll out like a dragon roar. Familiar scents hit me all at once, Cana, Erza, Natsu, Gray, Macao, Master, Levy, _Laxus_. I bite my lip and push the doors the rest of the way, feeling them creak my arrival, digging into the hardwood floor below my feet. A shift in the air, what--

Natsu bounces off a telekinetic barrier I erected on instinct, flying off to the right. It doesn’t do much to dissuade him, as soon as his foot hits the ground, he pushes off, righting himself and flying toward me with one flaming fist locked and loaded. Meeting him suddenly in the middle, I catch his fist with one hand and his forehead with the other, putting him into the ground.

“Hi, Natsu,” I breathe, inspecting the glove on my left hand, the one that caught his flame. They really do seem to be fire-retardant, Nico did an awesome job on them. The skin on my exposed fingers has already healed, and the glove remains intact. I wince, I hope Natsu doesn’t smell the burnt flesh, or if he does (which seems inevitable) hopefully he won’t say anything.

“Hey, Mara, welcome back!” his voice is muffled by the layer of hardwood I put him through, and I chuckle uneasily. Master isn’t going to be too excited about what I did to the floor on my first day back. “You weren’t kidding about going off and training, geez!” 

I keep meeting the gazes of my fellow guildmates, and they’ve _grown_. As I greet them and catch up, I can’t help but notice that everyone grew up. When Natsu finally stands, I find that he’s taller than I am now, Gray too. Erza looks like an adult (she always acted like one, but the shoe fits a little better now). Cana is blasted at the bar, and she’s changed a lot. Her hair has grown out to about my length, and the knowing smirk she wears seems to fit her face. As soon as our eyes meet she slides off the bar and we meet in the middle in a fierce hug. 

“I missed you, Mara,” she says, smelling simultaneously like a truckload of booze and like home.

“I missed you, too, Cana,” I reply, stepping back from her as the others crowd around us. Erza puts a hand on my shoulder.

“Natsu’s right, I can feel the difference just standing next to you. You’ve gotten a lot stronger.”

My cheeks are burning, I’m hoping I just feel it and they can’t see it. It’s true though, I deserve this. Positive affirmations. I’ll just keep them inside for now. 

“Hi, Mara,” a new voice says from my side, I turn to find a cute blonde girl with a half-up side ponytail and a bright smile holding a hand out for me to shake, I take it, “I’m Lucy! I just joined a few months ago!”

“Oh, Cana’s told me about you!” it comes out of my mouth before I think about it, “welcome to the guild!” 

Gray doesn’t approach me, but he nods when our eyes meet for the first time, I note an uneasy smile on his face. I return it with a full smile of my own. It’s my strategy with him: be kind until he’s comfortable with me, or until he snaps and finally confronts me about whatever is bothering him. 

It’s no secret to me, though: he can tell I’m a demon, or part of him can. I know when people can, even if they can’t identify why I put them off. Something in them knows my energy _isn’t quite right_. Gray is abnormally sensitive. I know it makes him feel guilty, so I’ve never brought it up. I can help him keep his unease under the radar if that’s what he wants. 

Everyone else has grown so much, and they’ve gotten so much stronger themselves. Part of me wants to pit myself against each and every one of them, but I don’t. I smile and hug my friends. I bite back a wince as Erza presses me to her armor, I tease Wakaba and Macao about the sharp smell of alcohol and cigarettes coming off them, I ruffle Romeo’s hair and poke fun at how short he still is. Finally I find Levy, and I grab her in a full-body hug. 

“I’m so sorry I wasn’t here, Levy,” I say, breathing her deep. She’s okay, and so are Jet and Droy, and I know that, but I’m still glad to verify it for myself. Levy wraps her arms around my waist, chuckling nervously. 

“I’m fine, Mara,” she says, “be careful with that grip or I won’t be for long.” Releasing her I hold her shoulders and inspect her. She sighs, “I’m not sure if you would’ve been able to do anything but get angry anyway, no one was around, it was nighttime.”

“That doesn’t comfort me, you know,” I reply dryly. Jet and Droy come back over from the bar and I grab them too, one in each arm.

“Welcome back, Mara,” they both say. I’m not crying, I’m not crying, I’m not crying.

“You idiots,” I breathe, “I’m glad you’re okay.”

We chat a bit longer before I smell it, ozone and electricity and raw power. My sense of smell improved or he is giving off more of it, I’m not sure. Laxus crosses the room with the Thunder Legion in tow. Bickslow, Fried, and Evergreen all spare me a small smile and wave, but Laxus ahead of them doesn’t. 

“ _More_ new members?” I hear him say under his breath, “how many useless weaklings are we letting in this place now?”

"Laxus," Fried says at a level he’s sure I can’t hear, "that's Mara."

It stings, but I know the others didn’t hear what he said, besides maybe Natsu (and judging by Natsu’s expression, I’d say he definitely heard it). But it doesn’t do more than sting, and for that I’m proud. I don’t let it change my face. I’m sure he’s being an ass on purpose, he can’t have forgotten me?

I catch up with everyone some more. They want to know about my training, how I felt now, whether I was planning on sticking around. I want to know the same things about them. I scold Natsu a few times for his stories, and he gives me that same look he always did, the one that tells me my opinion matters to him, the one I know I’ve given Nero on countless occasions. It’s an out of body experience, seeing yourself in someone else, and part of me tells me I’m projecting, that there’s no way Natsu has that much stock placed in me. But just in case, I always end with encouragement. 

“Just keep training, Natsu. You’re getting stronger every day, then you can take S-class missions the proper way instead of making Happy steal them.”

“Yeah, yeah,” he says, waving a hand flippantly, but he’s smirking too. 

“What have I said about sitting on tables?” The familiar voice of the old man bellows, “Mara, did Nero brainwash you of all civility?”

He’s smiling though, and I hop down from my spot on the table, “sorry, Gramps. Old habits.”

“I missed you, child,” he says. I nod. “You look just like your dad, you know.”

I blush, tugging on my red leather jacket, “the clothes weren’t my fault, Kyrie got them for me.”

“Because they suit you,” he says, “now come on, let’s catch up in my office. I want to hear more about what you got up to these past three years.”

. . .

“It’s true!” I exclaim between laughs, trying not to jostle my beer too much, “Nero got his stupid mechanical arm stuck in a rafter, so he was hanging at the ceiling. Blood was running into my eyes, so I couldn’t see for shit, but I could see his shiny sword glinting, and so I fired shots at him so he could deflect them and hit the targets. His gun isn’t great from a distance, and with the recoil he would’ve just been swinging wildly around. He still was, but this was more productive.”

“Sounds like you really do take after your old man,” Master says easily, chuckling, he sips his tankard again before continuing, “as you know, we teamed up on a mission or two before you were born, and somehow he always ended up in the weirdest positions.”

“That’s what Nero tells me too,” I remark. I can feel the smile fading, “I think I nearly have what I need to bring him back. Just a bit more research and I should be able to do it,” I don’t tell him about the book, not yet. I can’t until I’m sure it’s right, until I’m sure it’s not a trap. 

“So you’re still trying to free Dante?” Makarov sighs and takes one of my hands. “He’d want you to move on, you know, live a happy life.”

“I am,” I say, a light smile on my face, the alcohol burning beneath my skin, “I’m not unhappy, I have friends and a life. But I’m not just going to forget and move on. I have the power to fix this, I know I do. So I’m going to,” I take another hearty sip, “and I just…. I didn’t get enough time with him. It’d be one thing if he were dead, but he’s alive somewhere, and not a good somewhere either.”

“I understand,” he says, and he steps over to a bookcase, pulling four books from it and coming back to me, “I found these in Era when I was there for a council meeting while you were away. It’s not a lot, but I hope one of these might have some answers for you.”

I’m touched, and though I recognize each of the bindings to be books I’ve already read through multiple times, I accept them and say nothing of it. Maybe I’ll give them another go.

There’s a crash outside, and I hear multiple things breaking, Master looks like he’s about ready to blow a gasket. Laughing, I hold a hand up, “why don’t you let me handle this one?” He sighs and nods, likely relieved he can avoid a headache for a little while longer today. Books under my arm, I step out of his office and look over the balcony.

“What the hell is going on out here?” I yell down, looking at a scene of Natsu and who has to be Black Steel Gajeel in the middle of a pile of rubble: a hole in the ground and three broken tables, strewn with food and broken dishes. Lucy and Levy are both covered in their dinners, and Erza looks like she was about to step in. I jump over the balcony and land between them. “Gonna settle down, or am I going to have to make you?” Gajeel approaches me first, not watching Natsu shake his head and wave his hands indicating that Gajeel should stop. The iron dragon slayer smells metallic, and he has that same tinge of raw power that I get off Natsu and Laxus. 

“And who are you, missy?” he asks, his gravelly voice low and threatening, like the edge of a growl, that low rumble before the aggression starts. The metal in his face flickers from the firelight around us. I didn’t realize that it had become night while I was talking to Gramps. 

“Well I’m the sheriff ‘round these parts,” I say, placing a hand on my hip while my elbow still holds the books in place against my side, “who are _you_ , jackass?”

He senses the challenge in my voice and attacks instead of responding. I’d call that a pretty good indicator that he’s not really much of a villain. Everyone knows villains love an opportunity to soliloquize. When his fist turns into an iron bar, I sidestep it, keeping a tight hold on my books. I teleport behind him and sweep his legs out, though he sees that coming too and jumps over me, using his, oh, _extendable_ iron fist to push himself into the air. I straighten up, waiting for him to land before I push off the ground toward him. He does the same. I feel myself echoing the feral grin on his face as the wind rushes through my hair. 

When we almost meet in the middle, I feint downward, rolling a tad and taking him by surprise. I twist into a kick in his side that sends him flying across the room. He lands on a fourth table, of course, breaking it. Master shouts.

“When you said you’d handle it I didn’t think you’d be breaking more things, Mara!”

“Sorry, Gramps!” I walk over to Gajeel, who is rubbing his tailbone and offer him a hand. He grins, taking it, “well, you heard him, I’m Mara.”

“Gajeel,” he says, “you’re pretty tough, girlie.” I ignore the scoff I hear from Laxus across the room, and the pang it sends through my body. 

“Not so bad yourself.” I know this is the guy who hurt Levy. But looking at him now, I can’t imagine it. Cana told me, and Levy told me too. They’ve forgiven him. He’s proven himself. He and another sorcerer from Phantom Lord both joined Fairy Tail after the fighting, and both were accepted by everyone, despite what they’d done in their pasts. If everyone else, including the ones who were hurt, were ready to forgive and forget, then I have no right not to do the same.

“Next time,” he says, “I won’t hold back. You won’t be able to fight me and hold a stack of books at the same time without getting hurt.”

“You’re on,” I return, “but you’re going to regret wanting me to use both hands.”

He clicks his tongue, but that deadly smirk doesn’t leave his face. He’s got rough edges, but Master was right to let him join. He belongs here.

I help Natsu and Gajeel right the tables, whining until Cana finds me some wood glue from behind the bar. The others laugh and of course, no one helps, but it’s amazing to be back. After I slather glue on the broken bits, Natsu and I brace the tables so Gajeel can reattach them with Metal plates on the bottom. Soon, aside from the visible cracks, it’s like nothing happened to them.

There is the matter of the floor, however, and that will have to wait until we get some new wood. For now, we fix what we can and rearrange the tables to cover the cracks in the floor. When I’m done, I grab my books and walk over to Cana, accepting a tankard from her, and relishing the icy feel of it in my throat.

“Big first day,” Cana says, I nod, taking another deep draught, “you really have gotten stronger, you know.”

“I hope so, Nero worked me to the bone that whole time.”

“It’s not just that, it’s your attitude. You bantered with Gajeel. I think three years ago, you would’ve probably tried not to fight him at all. Hell, I’m not sure you would’ve lept the balcony and gotten between two dragon slayers, regardless of the property damage in the balance.”

“Probably too much time with Nero,” I say, “he’s about as cocky as they come. Can’t help but rub off on you.”

“Yeah, but it’s probably more than that,” she jumps up, putting a tight arm around my neck and rubbing her knuckles into my head, “I’m just glad to have my best friend back!” I laugh, righting my hair when she lets go of me. 

“I’m glad to be back. Ready to go home, roomie?”

. . .

Home is just as I remember it, down to the smell. I stopped in a few times in the past three years to grab things or drop them off, but mostly I stayed with Nero and Kyrie or with Nico in the van on a job. 

When I open the door to my bedroom, predictably, it’s dusty as hell. Cana, right behind me, sneezes as soon as the door opening kicks some of it up into her nose. I walk over to the window above my bed and open it as wide as it will let me, very aware of each new puff of dust rising up around my steps. 

“Guess I didn’t think through leaving my bedroom like this very well. God, I wonder what dad’s room looks like,” I say, making a face, Cana grimaces. 

“You can crash with me tonight if you want. I have a feeling this is going to take a bit to clean.”

“Yeah, I pretty much just want to dump the entire room in a tub and beat it to death with soap,” I admit, “but for now maybe I can at least get some of this dust out of here?”

I step away from the window—not too keen to get a face-full of dust again—and back to the doorway. I’ve been working on my control, telekinesis isn’t typically something people use to clean up dust, but it’s what I’ve got. The trick will be not sending half my possessions out of the room along with the dust. Feels doable, but we’ll see.

There’s a visible layer of dust around, so I start here. I basically picture the dust as a physical blanket covering everything. At some point in my training, it dawned on me that I usually picture my telekinesis like a field of energy, and it operates that way. Not unlike Nero’s demon arm, just, less visible and less attached to me. I can see dust moving around as I lay an invisible field beneath it. I lift it slowly, the air threatening to push all the dust back into the rest of the house if I’m too hasty, and Cana watches on, the scarf she pulled in front of her face falling as the dust retreats. Shaping the field into a funnel, I basically dump the dust through the window. Some of it blows back in—fucking wind, thinking it can just decide where dust goes—but most of it blows away. There is still hella cleaning to be done, don’t get me wrong, but even just getting most of the three-year dust layer out feels like a victory. 

“Whoa,” Cana says, “I thought you were training to fight but I guess they had you in maid school.”

“Shut up,” I say, punching her shoulder lightly as she laughs. “Just thought it’d be a good way to see how good my control actually got.”

“Did they give you a sexy outfit too? With the apron and the little hat?” she says laughing. 

“See if I ever dust for you!” I yell, pushing past her into the hall. 

“Wait, Mara, I’m kidding! Please dust for me? I haven’t cleaned the kitchen in months, I need your professional help!”

It continues as she follows me down the hall, and after months without her, I’m struck by the warm feeling in my chest being back with my best friend. 

. . .

I can’t sleep. Something about being back has me wired. I’m sitting in the chair at my dad’s desk, the one that hasn’t moved in nine years. Somehow it still carries him, the smell, the worn spot he used to put his feet. I sit back in the chair, and just to test it out, I kick my feet up where he did. Turns out it’s a lot harder to do when your legs are short, but I manage it. 

I pull the notebook out of my breast pocket and study the diagrams, the notes, the intricate demonic text that I shouldn’t be able to read but somehow can. This is it, it details everything I need to do. But can I trust it? I’ll have to see if Levi wouldn’t mind taking a look at it, and maybe Fried too, for good measure. I don’t know what kind of traps could be coded into its pages. 

Looking at it, I can see the problem now. I was trying to solve interdimensional travel to a place with texts from this realm, with theories and hypotheses and magic that doesn’t apply to the world of demons. I would always have needed demonic energy to enter the realm of demons, wouldn’t I? 

If this book is right, all I need to do is draw a couple circles and channel an enormous amount of hateful dark energy. Piece of cake. 

Who am I kidding? Where would I even find that kind of energy? In quantity or quality? I’m not going to spend a decade torturing demons in a phallic tower for it. I have a method, but I don’t have the means. It’s possible I’ll find them taking jobs, but not at my current level. I’d have to be S-Class at least to get the kind of jobs that could possibly generate a way into hell. 

So at least I have a way forward: have Levy check this book, and work toward a nomination for the S-Class exam.


	6. Back To It

“Good morning, Mira,” I say, smiling.

“Good morning, Mara,” she returns with a giggle. It’s something we’ve always done, when we were kids it cracked us up. Our names are only a letter off if you go by Mirajane’s nickname. This goofy ritual bonded us.

“Got anything interesting on the docket?” I ask as she slides a plate of breakfast in front of me. My mouth is already watering.

“Breakfast first, Mara,” she says maternally. Hey, I’m not gonna argue. “And you owe me a chat. Seems like you’ve been catching up with everyone else but me.”

“Fair enough,” I say laughing, “how have you been?”

“Oh you know,” she says, coyly, “we’re as upbeat as ever here!”

“You’ve made quite a splash in Sorcerer Weekly the past few years,” I say, eyebrow raised, she only laughs.

Even now, all these years later, her smile doesn’t quite reach her eyes. It’s close, she does a good job hiding it, but every so often a streak of pain lances her expression. I see it in Elfman too. It doesn’t do to dwell on those we’ve lost, or so the master tells me. Hypocrite though I am, I push through and distract her as best I can.

“I haven’t been up to too much, if we’re honest. Just working and training.”

“You’ve gotten a lot stronger,” Mira says happily, as if it’s just a fact. I have to push away a blush.

“You think so?” I ask, “I still have a ways to go if I’ll get to be strong enough to make S-Class.” Laxus passes through my mind and my fist clenches under the table. I don’t want to think about that prick.

“I know so. I’m sure you’ll be nominated this year. And Laxus won’t know what hit him.”

My eyes whip up to her innocent smirk and I can’t help the flush across my cheeks this time.

“I don’t know what it has to do with him. That rat bastard can go die in a hole for all I care.”

“Mara,” she scolds, laughing. I can’t help but follow.

“I really missed this place,” I say, looking around the room. I missed every part of it. I missed Mira’s warm wisdom and Erza’s quiet strength and Cana’s buoyant sense of humor. I missed the echoes of conversations and laughter flying around the guild hall, bouncing off the rafters. I missed the smell of ale-soaked wood, the sound of Natsu and Gray’s magics crackling before a fight, the weight of Happy landing on my shoulder with a friendly greeting. I missed Gramps scolding me for sitting on tables or helping Cana play tricks on other guild members. I missed the way the floorboards creak and the draft that always sweeps through. 

“We missed you, Mara,” Mira says simply, “I’m glad you’re back. The guild doesn’t feel the same when we’re not all home.”

I don’t let the bite of her words show on my face. Sometimes I wonder how she wakes up in the morning, with a loss that heavy in her heart. I reach across the bar to the hand that she’s placed on it and squeeze it just a bit. She meets my eyes and smiles in return, a little warmer than before. All the joy and warmth in this family makes it easy to forget that everyone here has some deep pain within them, some immeasurable loss. It’s up to us to support each other and make it as bearable as we can.

. . .

“Are you sure about this?” Cana asks, reading the flyer. An A-Class mission. It looks doable to me, there are some bandits a couple villages over. 

“Hell yeah, I am! I know the area and can teleport us there without too much trouble. I already went down to the tavern in the merchants’ district to see if anyone had encountered them. Sounds like a group of idiots with knives and maybe one or two mages. Should be a piece of cake for the two of us! Fairy Tail’s finest women! Come on, Cana. It’s our first job since I got back, the old duo back together!”

“We’ve barely trained together since you got back, how do you know if we’re even still a good fit?”

“I can feel it in my bones,” I say jovially, “you can’t tell me that reward doesn’t get you excited. We gotta keep the water running somehow.”

“We could use a new sofa too, to be honest,” she admits, “ours is pretty old and dusty, and I’m not sure what your dad did to it to make it smell like that.” I nod fervently.

“We probably don’t want to know!” I say cheerfully. “Let’s do this job and buy a new one. A big, cozy sectional with fluffy cushions that come off so we can clean under them and not wonder what crawled into it and died!” She sighs, nodding. She straps a barrel to her back and checks her card deck.

“Lead the way, Mara.” She’s pretending to be annoyed, but actually she’s excited too. I grab her arm and whisk us away to the forest outside of Talissa Village. Cana holds her head for a moment and then shakes it, but seems none the worse for wear. We keep quiet and I listen closely to see if we’re anywhere near the bandits. I can’t make anything out, so they’re probably not too close. 

“You’re really good at riding along,” I remark, “Nero still hates it when I teleport him.”

“I don’t find it comfortable, but I don’t need to bitch about things like he does either,” she says, smirking. I can tell she’s a bit dizzy, but she soldiers on. “Are you sure we can handle this? We haven’t done an A-Class mission together before.”

“Yeah, it’ll be a piece of pizza,” I declare, earning an eye roll.

“You mean a piece of cake,” she points out. 

“But I don’t like cake. I do like pizza.”

“That’s not really the point.”

“Shh!”

I hear wheels. Judging by the weight of it, how hard it is hitting ruts, I think there’s a solid chance it’s someone transporting cargo. The horse hooves I’m picking up with it mean that either the driver is not a mage, or they travel too long a distance to make a magical vehicle make sense. Either way, all signs point to merchant. I motion to Cana to follow, and she sighs, setting the empty barrel down at her feet and following me, unbuttoning her card case and keeping her hand nearby it. 

I can smell her fear rising up, the carriage is still far, so I turn to her. “Listen, I trust you. I know you’re nervous, and that’s probably my fault, but we can do this. We’re both strong as hell, and haven’t you been nominated for the S-Class exams like four times now? You’ve got this! We’ve got this.”

“I failed the S-Class exams four times, Mara,” Cana says, biting her lip and frowning. I flick her forehead.

“Master wouldn’t nominate you if he didn’t think you had S-Class strength in you. An easy bandit mission like this will be no problem for us. Now come on! When I give you the signal, hit me with your Sun’s Strength, just like old times.”

Cana sighs, but when she cracks a smile I know I got her. 

The carriage rolls up, bumping along the path, and I keep an eye out for the inevitable ambush. It’s more accurate to say that I keep an ear out. When I finally hear footsteps and hushed whispers I know we got them.  
I grab Cana’s elbow, and she knows I’m about to move us. I teleport a little closer to town, in range of the bandits prepping their ambush. Their pockets full of gold and stolen treasures, I can hear what they are plain as day. I put us close enough for Cana to see them, I sign a number to her. There are 15 standard bandits, and from what I can smell on the wind, two mages. She nods, understanding. 

I jump into the tree above, and give her a flippant wave. She rolls her eyes, but I can see her Sun’s Strength cards at the ready. I position myself above the biggest clump of them, about 6, and I signal to Cana with a small telekinetic nudge. She casts the cards and I take the energy in as I leap out of the tree, applying her fire spell to my punch. I hit the ground with my fist, a half-second passes, and the fire spreads through the ground, exploding in the area around us. Not only does it knock out the six bandits, but it alerts the carriage that there’s something to worry about. It stops ahead, as planned, and Cana puts herself between the ambush and the carriage, dealing with a pocket of bandits closer to the cart. I hear her summoned lightning crackle to my left as I veer right. It’s an easy combo to take out the four standing here: flying kick, jump off as he toppels, handstand into a spinning kick, roll into an uppercut right hook, and turn into a backhanded left haymaker. 

The next guy is still in his tree, crossbow drawn. I take a bolt to the shoulder, and when it doesn’t faze me he starts, nearly falling from his branch. I use the opportunity to wipe him from it with a telekinetic force, and I pool the energy to swat three bolts out of the air that were headed for Cana.

“Thanks!” she shouts before throwing three Summoned Lightnings at the offenders. So now we’re down to just the two mages, which have yet to have made an appearance. I can feel the magic crackling through the air before it hits. I jump over to Cana, my back to hers, and erect a barrier around us as a rain of magic bullets bounces off it. I hold up my fist and Cana uses Summoned Lightning one more time, focusing it on my fist, I gather the energy, amplify it, and blast it with a wave of telekinesis toward the bullets’ origin. I guide the blast with my senses, and when I feel it smack into the target, I feel gratified. 

We hear the other mage, and soon Cana is doused in water. A weak blast, but enough for her to be soaked. 

“Of course she had water magic,” Cana says. Angry, she throws cards into the forest, and where each card falls, a bikini-clad woman appears. The water mage attacks them, dousing them in the same weak water magic they hit Cana with. 

Because of this, I’m able to pinpoint the location of the mage. I draw the pistol from my holster and take aim. As soon as the mage steps into my vision, I pull the trigger, hitting her in the chest with a magic bullet of my own.

“See? Told you it’d be a piece of pizza,” I say obnoxiously. She groans, but I can see the smile in her eyes anyway. She slaps the hand I offer, and then shakes her hair, splattering me with water.

“That’s what you get, bitch,” she says with a smirk, “you’re lucky you can teleport us straight home after we finish here, otherwise you’d be getting a fist in the face!”

We gather up the bandits and tie them up, when they wake, they’ll be in the custody of the Rune Knights, and we’ll be one sofa and a couple thousand Jewel richer. 

“Hey, Mara, hold on,” Cana says suddenly. “What’s on your shoulder?”

“Shit,” I say, remembering the bolt, I pull it out and feel the wound close, “I forgot about that. Bastard put a hole in my new jacket.”

“Mara, shouldn’t you be more worried about your shoulder than your jacket?”

“Nah, I heal quick,” I peel the jacket off, bloody and sticking to my skin. The wound beneath is already gone. “Remember?”

“Yeah,” she says, uneasily, “I guess you have mentioned that before, I just haven’t seen it in action.”

“Makes sense,” I answer, trying to keep my voice as casual as possible. Her unease stings a bit, but it’s not too surprising, “this is the first ‘dangerous’,”--I do air quotes--”mission we’ve been on.”

“Yeah,” she says again, wringing water out of her hair. “Well, let’s get going. We’ve got a reward to claim and a couch to pick out.”

. . .

I sigh and let the sofa pull me in, it’s fluffy as hell and so soft. If I close my eyes, I can almost imagine myself sinking into it, getting pulled into a perfect world where I’m surrounded by softness and fluff and nothing else. No demons, no bandits, just sweet, fluffy oblivion.

“Mara, you’re thinking out loud again,” Cana says, though I can feel her just as relaxed as me in the other corner. We bought a square, u-shaped sectional, and boy-oh-boy is it the most wonderful thing there ever was. Part of me is sad to see the old couch go but it’s a very small part, and very overshadowed by the part of me that wants to live in these cushions and never leave them. Cana throws me a beer, and before I’ve caught it, I can hear her opening her own. 

“Should we maybe not drink on the brand new couch,” I ask, opening my own can with no intentions of moving, Cana vocalizes something through a deep swig that feels like it probably means ‘shut up.’ I comply and focus on the booze and the _endless fluff_. We’re going to fall asleep here, I’m pretty sure.

“Mara,” she says, sleep heavy in her voice confirming my suspicion, “I really missed you, you know?”

“Me too,” I reply.

“I love you, you know?” she says. 

“I know,” I say. I know what she’s doing. She feels guilty about earlier. About reacting to my demonic healing that way. “It’s fine, Cana, you don’t have to--”

“I just wanted to make sure you knew that. So even if something shocks me, or I forget how you're different, it doesn’t matter. You’re my sister. You got it?”

Sleep is still heavy in her words, but I smile. “I got it.”

“Good.”

I love Cana, but I won’t fool myself into thinking I’m like her. 

. . .

It’s early, the sun is barely up, but when I woke up stiff from sleeping on the new, sent-from-heaven sofa, I realized I should walk it off. I need to get my jacket fixed anyway, and I know the best magical repair shop. 

It’s a quick job, but I leave too much Jewel behind as a tip. The lady who runs the shop has always been discreet about the amount of jacket-repair she’s done, for me and for my dad, and she’s never reacted in judgment or asked any questions. Healing magic is common, but no one should have as many injuries as we get as often as we do and survive every time. I don’t know what she’d say or to whom, but It’s always a touch safer to just be grateful and show it. It’s one of the things Dad taught me about being a demon among humans. If you don’t act like you’re weird, they won’t either. It’s easier to believe there’s some kind of unknown magic at work than it is some kind of inhuman status.

My favorite cafe is on the way back, and it’s just starting to open as I walk past it. The smell of fresh pastries is always too much for my delicate self-control, so naturally, I duck in with no hesitation.

“Oh, hi, Mara!” calls a voice from my right. Lucy is sitting at a table with a stack of papers in front of her.

“Hi, Lucy,” I walk over to her table, waving, “you’re up early.”

“So are you,” she offers. I chuckle and nod. “What’s got you up? You were on a job with Cana yesterday, right?”

“Yeah, we got in last night. I needed some repairs done to my jacket, so I got up to get it done before everyone came in with their cleaning for the day.”

“Makes sense,” she says, “I came to get some privacy if we’re honest. Natsu and Happy have been glued to me lately and I just wanted a morning to myself, you know?”

“I completely understand,” I say, thinking of all the mornings I couldn’t get through a cup of coffee without Nero pestering me, “don’t let me keep you from it. I just wanted to grab a donut for the road.”

“No worries, have a good day, Mara!” she says brightly. I smile and nod in return, heading to the counter to grab a donut and beverage. The coffee is scalding hot, and the donuts are so fragrant I feel like there’s no way the whole shop can’t hear my stomach growl for it. 

I walk along the river, eating my donut and drinking my coffee, enjoying the cool morning humidity, listening to the birds waking up. I’m not really sure what I’ll do today. Could find another job or could take it easy. Might be nice to just putz around Magnolia for the day. I could chill at restaurants, try a bunch of the new foods that moved in while I was gone. 

As I ponder, the Thunder Legion passes me, no Laxus in sight or smelling range, but they still notice me. Evergreen shoots me her standard uncaring glance, spending just enough effort to notice me, but not enough to regard me. The message has those old “you ain’t shit” tones I missed, not.

“Good morning, Mara,” Freed says pleasantly enough. Bickslow grins. I wave and nod over my coffee.

“Good morning,” I return, making eye contact with Freed, but leaving the greeting open to encompass the group. We continue on our separate ways, and I brush off the cold feeling Evergreen always leaves in my bones. We’ve never been on good terms, but we’re not exactly on bad terms either. Honestly, nothing has ever happened between us one way or the other, but she’s got a bit of a bee in her bonnet about me, so I steer clear. My guess is it’s something like Gray, I probably put her off in some indiscernible way. 

“Have a good day, Mara,” Freed says as they pass. I squeak out a “you too,” but hadn’t expected the conversation to continue. My palm meets my forehead as I cringe at myself.

It’s been a busy morning! It’s something else I missed though. People in Fortuna were generally offput by us. Nero, having grown up their with a demonic arm everyone knew about, already had something of a reputation. People skirted me on the street, or were generally cold. Here, I belong, people who know me from the guild or who knew my dad are pleasant. Seeing my guildmates in the streets and at my favorite restaurants is a lovely little sign that I’m home. That I’ve really carved out a place for myself here and that I belong in it.

Sometimes, it’s easy to forget that I do belong here too.


	7. The Battle of Fairy Tail

Okay, so I’m walking to the guild hall minding my own business when I come upon Jet and Droy antagonizing Gajeel in the park. So, part of me gets it. He humiliated and hurt them, and they’re still uncomfortable around him; but calling him out at high noon for an ambush feels a little shitty, even given the circumstances. I watch from a distance, electing to step in if things get too ridiculous.

I smell him before I see him, that familiar scent of ozone and power. He yammers on about some shit talk he heard about Fairy Tail in a bar, in a bar, and kicks the crap out of Gajeel. Levy, Jet, and Droy all tell him to stand down, but when he aims for Levy, Gajeel steps in, his arm iron, and takes the bolt. 

“This is getting tense,” I say, stepping in. I put myself between them, right in front of Laxus. He’s taller than I remember. “Maybe we all oughta head out, yeah?”

“Mara…” Levy says weakly from behind Gajeel. He hasn’t moved from his spot, his eyes glued on Laxus. I feel power at my fingertips, bubbling, ready for me if I need it. Laxus smirks at me wickedly.

“Ballsy. For someone who ran away from Fairy Tail because she couldn’t hack it, you sure are courageous,” he sneers. 

“That’s not--no. You know what? We’re all done here. Let’s move,” I say to the others. He takes a step closer to me, lightning crackling in his fingers. I don’t flinch, though my heart beats out of my chest. The power in my fingers starts to ripple in the air, I see Laxus notice it. It feels like we're two predators casing each other. I don't want to like it, but something about it energizes me. What would happen if I fought him now? Would I win?

The others take a few steps back, and Gajeel scoffs, leaving the group. The tension diffuses slowly, and Laxus is on his way too. I exhale and Levy comes over to me.

“Thanks for stepping in, Mara,” she says, “he was way out of line.”

“I really didn’t do anything,” I say, “probably just pissed him off more. Laxus has become such a piece of work.”

She doesn’t press me, though I can feel her eyes on me. We start to head back to the guild hall together, Jet and Droy following behind.

“Levy, I got this book from a suspicious source, and I wondered if you could help me take a look at it and make sure there’s nothing off about it.”

“Oh?” she asks, her curiosity getting the better of her. I chuckle, pulling it from my pocket.

“It conveniently has all the answers I need to save my dad. But the person who gave it to me was suspicious, to say the least. I need to know if it’s safe before I take anything in it seriously, so I thought I’d start with you. If you have some time, can you go through it with me and make sure nothing in it is malicious?”

“Sure, Mara! I’d love to help,” she says cheerfully, taking the book from my hand and leafing through it. “This looks handwritten.”

“It is. That’s part of why I want to make sure it’s not trapped or enchanted somehow.”

She nods, promising to look at it, and I let her hold onto it for now. We part ways before the guild hall, as I get a whiff of iron.

“I’ll be back in a bit, I have to go check something.”

I find him on a rooftop nearby, and when I’m closer to him, I notice the smell of alcohol added in.

“Some day, huh?” I ask him, sitting down. 

“It’s not like I expected to make friends here,” he says gruffly. I chuckle.

“No one expects it, but you will. Those three already respect you. You won’t have trouble from them anymore,” I lace my fingers. “And I’ve got nothing against you.”

“Oh?” he says with a heavy side-eye. I sigh.

“I’ve seen what real darkness, real evil, looks like, and you ain’t it.” I lean back and look at the sky, “besides, you were ready to let Jet and Droy rip into you for as long as it took for them to be satisfied. To face that confrontation for the good of the guild is something I wouldn’t actually expect from many of the longtime members. You’re strong and you’re smart and Fairy Tail is better off with you in it. That’s just logic.”

“Is that right?” he says, “well I guess we'll see how long that holds true."

We sit for a moment in the sun before I feel him get antsy to leave. I place a hand on his shoulder first. 

"Wait, do you need a place to crash?" I ask him, "I've got a bunch of extra rooms, and a pretty tricked out training room in the basement if I do say so myself. Rent's cheap, and it's just me and Cana there. Over the years I bought the buildings next door to add on to the basement and ended up with like 10 extra rooms."

He's silent for a moment and I get tense. 

"How cheap we talkin'?" 

. . .

Gajeel accepted my invitation to move in, and despite Cana's initial unease, the addition of another helping hand to pay the bills softened her resolve. It's actually been a comfortable setup. He chose one of the rooms in the addition that has its own external door. We worked together getting it livable, making sure the plumbing was working and correctly installed. His Iron powers were very helpful to be honest. I told him as much and he bristled a little bit. Guess he doesn’t like being reduced to a handyman.

When we got him settled in, I dragged the two of them to the living room, where I flung open the windows and floated us each beers.

“To new roommates!” I said enthusiastically. Cana and Gajeel reluctantly tapped their cans to mine, and both drained them quickly. Geez, you’d think they’d take our first casual night of roommate bonding a little more slowly. I followed their lead and drained my can, crushing it and floating all three to the can bucket in the kitchen, satisfied when they made that metallic clink again. 

“Alright, assholes,” I declare after another awkward moment of silence passes, “we’re not doing this. Do not chug this next drink I give you, we’re playing a game.” Cana groans, and Gajeel looks like he’s regretting everything about this. “Nuh-uh, I don’t want to hear it! The pizza will be here in thirty minutes, and I want us all to be enjoying ourselves before that happens!”

“Mara, I don’t think--”

“Nuh-uh!” I cut Cana off, “my way or the highway, bitch!” she sighs, but a smile sneaks into her face as she cracks her beer and takes a drink. Gajeel looks between us and sighs again, but doesn’t make to leave. My rent offer really was too good to be true. I own the building outright at this point, so I just asked for his third of the utilities. Literally no better option exists. 

I start us off with an easy get-to-know you game, and the booze piles on. Pizzas come and we’re still chatting into the night. By ten o’clock, Gajeel is actively participating in the conversation, offering up information about himself during Never Have I Ever, and teasing us back about our own admissions. By midnight, we’re all a fit of laughter and sloppiness. Even Gajeel cracks a smile or two and looses a chuckle. 

Amidst the joviality, Cana is reminded that I’ve never entered the Miss Fairy Tail contest at the Harvest Festival. I push back, but she, and eventually Gajeel, push me on the premise of pulling in the prize money and buying a couple new appliances. Ours are pretty old, but it’s not like we use them much. We make coffee and sometimes reheat leftovers, but I can’t cook for shit and Cana certainly doesn’t. The only thing it would make sense to replace is the fridge. But it’s alright. I’ll treat this as a fun adventure. 

. . .

“Welcome to the one and only Miss Fairy Tail contest!”

My heart is pounding. Why am I nervous? I’ve faced down packs of rabid demons, greater demons with a taste for the blood of Sparda, and Patty when she’s got an idea in her head: this is just a little stage time!

This whole thing was Cana’s idea. _“If there are two of us, we’re twice as likely to take home that 500,000 jewel! You’re a new face, an unknown element! You’re gorgeous and powerful and we just might stand a chance of beating Mira and Erza!”_ I guess we’ll see. If I can get my palms to stop sweating long enough to deal.

Cana did a number on me. Gajeel’s crash course as our roommate wound up being pretty traumatic. Cana made him sit on the couch (though he didn’t complain about the couch. That perfect, perfect couch) and appraise every outfit she put me in. 

“ _How would you rate this in terms of sexiness?”_

_“Do you think this compliments her fighting style?”_

_“Which assets should we focus on?”_

He spent a lot of time blushing and trying to get away, I spent a lot of time apologizing and doing the same. I begged him not to leave and promised this wasn’t typical. Overall, he was a pretty good sport, but I’m not convinced he’s not a flight risk. I promised him three cases of a beer of his choosing if he stays with us. 

In the end, we settled on something that highlights my unique skillset. 

She had a red bandeau and black harem pants lying around. The pants were a little long, but I pulled them up and took them in a little. These pants are really something, way more comfy than jeans or leather pants. If I didn’t think they’d get caught on stuff in battle I might consider a uniform swap. Cana rigs up some leather strappy thing that goes down my arms and around my neck and shoulders. I’m not sure how I’ll ever get it off, but I have to admit it’s kind of hot. 

She thinks I should strip telekinetically into a swimsuit (apparently a clothing swap is a popular method) but I have other ideas. 

Cana opens flawlessly, using her card magic to put on a swimsuit, and the others have similar tactics, though Mira kind of shits the bed. I watch Gajeel spit out his beer from across the guild hall when she transforms her face into his face, and I lose my shit long enough to almost forget to go on when called. 

“This ethereal Fairy Tail beauty just returned from a long training session, and she’s back, packing more power than ever before! Mara!”

I float onto the stage with a flourish. Introducing myself like the others have. 

“Hey everyone!” I say with a wave and a wink, men swoon, this contest is the biggest ego boost ever, “I rely on a mix of telekinesis, teleportation, and some good ol’fashioned whoop-ass to get me by!” I release the knives I brought with me and fanned them in a circle around me, they orbit me, changing axes with each turn. I smirk and aim them above the stage before revealing a handgun in a show of spins and expert handling. I float to the far bottom-left of stage and aim my knives at the far top-right, sending them hurtling toward that corner. I teleport to my target area, and hear the audience gasp. With one hand and very little worry, I shoot each knife out of the air, and they stick in the backdrop in the perfect shape of the Fairy Tail sigil. The audience goes nuts. 

I land with a flourish and take a deep bow before teleporting offstage. As soon as I hit the ground back there, my eyes meet glowing ones, and I can’t move.

. . .

It’s like a nightmare. I knew Laxus had a chip on his shoulder about the guild, how couldn’t I? He brought it up often enough, but this? Master and Natsu catch us up, and Cana has a supportive hand on my shoulder. It shouldn’t bother me so much, I thought I’d written Laxus off, that I knew he was cruel; but this just seems...extreme.

A skull made of Freed’s magic floats in front of us. Laxus’s disembodied voice comes out of it, it just seems so much more menacing than before. My fists clench and I smell blood as my nails dig into my palms. 

“Looks like one of the rules has gone out the window,” he says, “that’s fine, I’ll just add a new one.”

I feel it while he’s talking, the burst of electrical power floating around the town, holding us all hostage.

“In other words, since I would hate to end the Battle of Fairy Tail early, I’ve decided to activate the Thunder Palace.”

That doesn’t sound good. Master concurs, apparently knowing better what that means.

“Are you out of your mind, Laxus?” Master is horrified. I think, even though he knew Laxus had darkness within him, this seems to be too far, even to Master. I agree, there’s a pit in my chest, a lump in my throat I can’t swallow. Gajeel has moved closer to Cana and I and he meets my eye. It’s his expression that makes me realize there are tears in them. 

“You have one hour and ten minutes, if you think you can win, you’d better get moving. Unless you’re ready to hand the guild over to me now, master.”

Is that what he’s after? Ownership of the guild? What kind of guild master uses its members this way?

“This game has gone on for long enough, boy!” Master yells, though the skull is gone and so is the connection to Laxus, “I won’t let you drag innocent people into this!”

Master seizes and collapses. The smell of ozone gets thicker, and Mira tells us to look outside. 

“What the heck are those?” Natsu says, stepping outside.

“They look like lightning lacrimae to me!” Levy follows up. Cana’s gaze hardens. 

“That means Laxus did this,” she says. 

“They’re everywhere,” I say, “and they’re totally juiced up with lightning magic. If Laxus sets them off…”

“Everything within this ring will be burned to a crisp,” Cana finishes, locking eyes with me. I sink to my knees. 

“This is so messed up,” I say. “How long must he have been planning this if he managed to store that much lightning magic up and plant it around town? What _happened to him_?”

“What happened to _him_?” Lucy asks, “I’m more worried about what’s gonna happen to Magnolia if we can’t stop him.”

She’s right. The more pressing issue is stopping him. I can ruminate later.

“I won’t let that happen!” Bisca shouts, readying her gun. I pull my own out as well.

“Right, if we can put an end to the Thunder Palace we can fight Laxus on even terms, no games,” I concur, taking aim. If I use telekinesis and aim it right, I should be able to hit my target even from this distance. 

She aims and fires, destroying one of the lacrimae, and I do the same. But nothing changes, no surge of power, no explosion of lightning. What happened to the energy inside it?

The answer to that question certainly doesn’t feel good. Bisca and I both are enveloped in a bolt of electricity. Because of my training with Cana, I withstand it a little better than Bisca, but it’s hard to channel lightning you’re not expecting. The bottoms of my feet burn where the lightning races to the ground and my skin smells like it’s burning. I pull the ruined sandals off my feet and toss them aside, melted and steaming.

“Bisca!”

“Mara!”

“It must be body link magic,” Cana says. I nodded, recovering. My muscles spasm with electric charges.

“It seemed strange that the energy in the lacrimae didn’t dissipate when it was destroyed, turns out it was being directed at us. Basically, each one of those lacrimae will have one of Laxus’s most powerful thunderbolts in it. We’re screwed if we try to destroy them all--it’s enough lightning to kill us all multiple times over.”

“We have to defeat Laxus, fast,” Cana says seriously. I nod. 

I’m ready to face him. I have to be. Natsu and Gajeel can’t leave, and Master is hurt. It’s up to us.

. . .

Juvia, Cana, and I group up. I’m not sure why Juvia follows us, but I don’t question it, she’s powerful. It will be beneficial to have her with us. Hopefully she can assimilate into our fighting style though or our teamwork will be shaky.

“Is there anywhere he has a sentimental attachment to?” Juvia asks. Cana thinks.

“We’ve known Laxus a long time, but with the way he’s been acting lately I have no clue what he’s thinking,” she says pensively. I nod.

We continue searching, running through alleys and streets. Passively, I worry about spooking the citizens more than we have to, so I try to lead them down less populated paths. A few people ask us what’s going on, and I cut in an answer “just parade prep, don’t worry about it!” with as close to a megawatt smile as I can manage.

“Why are you lying to them?” Juvia asks me pointedly.

“They’re already unsure. If we startle them or tell them to evacuate, they’ll hurt each other. And anyway, there isn’t enough time for them to get out of town. There’s only about 30 more minutes until this thing goes off, we have to find a way to stop it before that happens. Their only shot is us, and if we fail, they’ll die instantly. Better that then being trampled to death and terrified in their final half-hour.”

“Mara, that’s pretty dark,” Cana says, though I know she agrees. I shrug. 

“Only if it turns out to be true. We just have to find Laxus.”

“That coward, hiding in a corner while all of us fight. He started this mess, he should be out here.”

“Laxus is saving his power to fight the master,” Freed cuts in. His script magic appearing around us. “It would be foolish for him to fight Master Makarov at less than full power.”

He bounds away, and Cana and Juvia make to follow him.

“This is a trap,” I say, “He’s leading us away from Laxus. We shouldn’t all follow Freed, we’re just going to end up in one of his enchantments.”

“That’s smart,” Cana agrees, “you keep looking for Laxus.”

“But,” I start.

“We’ll be fine. We have to stop Freed from laying any more traps. It’s just him and Laxus left, go find him and put a stop to all this fighting.”

My fists clenched, tears budding in my eyes, I throw my arms around Cana. “You be careful, okay? I want to see you at home after this.” She hugs me back.

“You too, show him what you’re made of. And come home in one piece.”

“I will.”

I sprint off in the direction Freed came from, making my way on top of the buildings nearby. If I look straight ahead, in the direction he came from what do I see?

I realize it immediately. Kardia Cathedral. This is an auspicious day for him, and it’s not beyond his ego to choose the most conspicuous place in town to hide out. My suspicions are confirmed when I see an explosion rock the glass.

I teleport to it and instantly am hit with the thick smell of ozone and the sound of Erza screaming.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to everyone who's reading this! It's such a weird crossover I wasn't sure if anyone would tune in, so I appreciate the views/subs/kudos immensely.


	8. Fairy Law

“Laxus!” I call, yelling into the cathedral, forgetting my bare feat, my lack of armor, and that I only have one pistol. “Why are you doing this?” I seethe, Laxus looks down his nose at me with that deadly smirk. I can keenly recall when that look used to make me feel small and pathetic. Now it just makes me angry.

“Why shouldn’t I? The old man wasn’t going to do what was necessary to ensure Fairy Tail stays on top.”

Erza regains her wits, and I can smell Natsu hurtling toward us. 

“Erza,” I say, keeping my eyes on Laxus, “are you alright?”

“Yeah, just dazed. I’m fine,” something in her voice has an edge to it. What happened?

The timer ticks down, two minutes left until Laxus detonates the Thunder Palace. We can’t let him do it.

“Those lacrimae, they’re holding the town hostage,” I tell her, “Laxus calls it the ‘Thunder Palace,’ like a fucking douchebag. We need to defeat him before it goes off.”

“Why not just destroy--”

“They’re rigged with body link magic, any time you blow one up the energy in it reflects back at you. Bisca and I found out the hard way.”

“You’re absolutely despicable, to think that you would attack your hometown!” Erza spits. Laxus laughs, and it’s chilling. Who is he now?

“Honestly, it breaks my heart, but that’s just the way the game is played, dollface.”

Erza growls and requips her Lightning Empress Armor, attacking him immediately. I stand in awe of their power for a moment, they’ve both gotten stronger while I’ve been away too. They’re so ridiculously powerful.

“When two wizards do battle with the same type of magic,” she says, deflecting a blow from Laxus, “many different factors determine the victor.”

I know this, even as Laxus recites them, I know the answer. “Their level of magic energy, technique, and experience, right?”

“One more,” Erza says.

“Their heart,” I say, earning a glance from Erza, when our eyes lock, she smiles. 

“Mara, can I rely on you to finish this?” I’m sure I gape at her, but I nod. “I’m going to remove the Thunder Palace from play.”

“You can’t be serious, it’s too much power.”

“I’d like to see you try,” Laxus talks over me, and I bristle, “attacking even one of those lacrimae can be deadly, and who knows how many are floating above town right now.”

The assuredness in Erza’s gaze is infectious. Her confidence bleeds into me even as she holds my eyes. “I’ll just have to destroy them all at once.”

“You must have some kinda death wish,” Laxus mutters, that deadly smirk never leaving him.

“No, but if that’s what it takes,” Erza says, “I’m leaving him in your hands, Mara.”

“Be careful, Erza. I don’t want to be at your funeral when this is all over,” I say. This time I talk over Laxus. 

I smell Natsu on his way here, I don’t have long before he dives in here headfirst. I need to work fast and keep Laxus from activating the Thunder Palace before Erza can destroy it. I leap at him, firing potshots around him, pushing him further into the cathedral. He avoids them easily, but I wasn’t trying to hit him. I don’t actually want him dead. I’m not sure my magic bullets would do anything but piss him off though, if I’m honest.

He closes the distance, lightning charging me. Remembering Erza’s armor, I brace for each blow and channel it into a strike back at him. He’s toying with me, or maybe measuring me? These strikes wouldn’t beat Cana’s summoned lightning on a bad day. Maybe he’s conserving his strength?

He grows more angry with each bolt I redirect, and finally I am able to close the gap entirely. He can’t dodge me, I’m too fast. Even without my boots, my kicks are strong. Every time his feet slide across the ground, I take the victory. He blocks as much as he can, and I dodge his hits easily and counter with two or three more between. He’s big, and he’s fast, but his reach is too wide and his punches are all power, no finesse. I suppose he’s never needed finesse before. Must be nice.

Finally he catches my ankle when I throw an iffy kick toward his head. He could probably crush my foot and put me out for a while, but he holds me off the ground, considering me. I’m used to this ‘trap’ though and I pull him into the air with telekinesis. His grip doesn’t slacken, but I’m able to swing myself and him together, adding force behind my punch and toward it, pinching him in for a more powerful attack. It’s a trump card I save for getting myself out of grapples or holds. He won’t let me get him in that position again now that he knows. He’s crazy but he’s clearly not stupid. I have to be careful.

He lands, breathing hard, and for once he’s quiet, taking me in, really understanding what he’s dealing with.

His obsession with power has completely consumed him. I can see it in his stance, the size of his body, the tension in his face. I wonder if my dad ever saw this when he looked at my uncle. Something about him is desperate. He’s backed himself into a corner, as surely as the lacrimae I can sense hanging around the town. Did he plan on going this far? Why?

“Don’t you see what gramps has done to this guild? Fairy Tail has been reduced to a joke,” the lightning crackling off of him like whiplashes pushes me around the room. I dodge where I can, but these stupid clothes, they’re not made for this. The pants get in my way, slow me down. I’m not wearing shoes, and I’m pretty sure I have glass and slivers in both feet, though they’re still numb from the electricity earlier. I try to float more than walk. “When I become master, I’ll reform Fairy Tail. The guild will strike fear into people’s hearts.”

“Fairy Tail isn’t about power and fear,” I say automatically, “we’re protectors, we bring joy, peace, security. This is against everything the guild stands for.” I’m still processing him. Trying to understand. His words and his actions don't line up. He wants Fairy Tail to be strong, but he's hurting everyone? Making people fight their friends? Their family? Breaking the bonds that make us strong by forcing us to hurt each other? Another lick of lightning catches me and I’m unable to dodge. I am thrown to the floor, crackling. It’s all my concentration to channel it, his attacks are becoming more powerful. I almost don’t hear him muttering.

“There’s only one minute, thirty seconds until the Thunder Palace is activated, what are you waiting for, old man? Are you really gonna stand back and watch all those people die?”

“Erza is going to handle your little toys,” I say, standing, and then immediately floating when I feel the grit in my feet, “the Master believes in us, in his guild. This isn’t going to happen, you’re not going to win.”

“The town will be fine,” Natsu says from behind me, fists alight, “you’re just upset you can’t back out of it now. It’s not so easy sticking to your guns. Is it, Laxus?” Natsu rushes Laxus, the heat of his flames blowing past me, warming me and recharging my spirit. Laxus looks shaken, for real. That desperation I saw before is showing again. There’s no way he wants to blow everyone up, even after all this, he really thought the Master would stop him. I’m sure he would if he could. I hope he’s okay.

“Less than a minute thirty seconds before the Thunder Palace is activated, you’re too late.”

“We’ll see,” Natsu says, rushing him again. Back and forth, he just keeps getting up. It’s admirable, though each new hit Natsu comes away more hurt than Laxus. I alternate blows with him. Going high when Natsu goes low, going left when he goes right. The heat of Natsu’s fire draws sweat from my skin, singes my pants. Eventually, I give up, exasperated.

“This is the _last time_ I let Cana dress me!” I scream in frustration. I tear the loose legs off my pants with a piece of glass from the floor, leaving me with the tight cuffs on my ankles that wouldn’t quite give, and a really flimsy pair of shorts. The difference in mobility is immediate.

“What the hell, Mara? Have you been hanging around Gray?”

“Oh, shut up, Natsu,” I say, wheeling in with a forceful spin kick that Laxus just blocks with a forearm, though I’m sure I can feel his bone cracking just a bit. He uses my momentum to push me into Natsu, sending us both spiraling away from him. I float off the ground, and Natsu takes a moment to catch his breath. 

“Laxus, there’s still time for you to shut it off. You don’t have to do this,” I say, hoping my words will reach the part of him that hesitates. The part of him that keeps checking the clock, hoping his grandfather will stop him.

“That weak crap won’t work on me,” Laxus growls, “it’s wishy-washy crap like that that makes the guild such a joke.”

My fist moves on its own, rage dripping down my face in salty lines. That smirk on his face further infuriating me, stoking that part of me that worked myself ragged for years to catch up. I hear Natsu getting back up behind me, but I’m already hurtling forward, launching toward Laxus with everything I have. His body encased in lightning, he does the same, meeting me somewhere in the middle. His eyes are wide, I’ve never seen him like this. 

“Yeah, Mara, teach him a lesson!” Natsu says. His cheering gives me strength.

My fist hits his palm with a loud smack, and I catch his fist in my other hand. We stand there for a minute, pushing each other, his lightning running through my body like a conduit, power streaming endlessly between us. I don’t flinch, and he notices. I know he’s pushing his power through me to intimidate me or fry me, but neither happens. I’ve had enough lightning today, and I primed myself to channel it. With both his hands in mine, I make our bodies a circuit, like the monsters we fought so long ago. His smirk fades, and I see him putting forth real effort to push me back. 

“Laxus, what happened to you?” I growl through clenched teeth. His scowl deepens.

“You wouldn’t understand,” he hisses, “none of you would.”

A sense of pride swells in me, even as the hurt and anger swirl in my stomach. I plant my aching feet, give way just a little in my arms, and push with my telekinesis just enough for Laxus to lose a split second of balance, and for me to capitalize on it by slipping beneath his arms and punching him in the diaphragm with all my strength. The shock in his eyes is like magic. One minute, he is crumpled over my shoulder, and the next he’s flying across the cathedral, careening over the pews like a ragdoll. He regains his balance shortly after, and that negligent confidence he’d had before, that vicious smirk, is gone, replaced by anger and incredulity. 

And _I_ did it to him.

I feel sparks flying outside the cathedral, everyone’s magic pouring out, the entire guild, working together to remove lacrimae. That power gives me strength, the light of that effort shines through the broken windows of the cathedral and makes Laxus’ face glow. Is there relief? Shock? I really don’t think he wanted the town to be destroyed. It’s an opening: I can try one more time to talk some sense into him. Remind him who he is.

"When I was probably like five," I start with a growl, "my dad and I were at the park. It was a beautiful day, and dad offered to get us ice cream. Some asshole kids bigger than me came over to me while he stepped away and bullied me. They took the flower my dad had picked for me out of my hand and crushed it in front of me. I couldn't understand what was going on, but they weren't ready to leave me alone, probably waiting for me to get upset or run away.”

“What useless nonsense are you going on about?” Laxus snarls, making to attack me again. I prepare myself and channel his lightning, shooting it back at him. His irritation is palpable as he falls to the ground again, but Cana and I trained with lightning. I can do this. He lashes out at me two more times as I speak, each with greater power than the last. I deflect them.

“I didn't get the chance to comprehend what they were doing to me because another boy stepped in and stopped them. He scared them off me with lightning in his fist and found me a new flower. That act of kindness always stuck with me, and the darker parts of me, the ones that want to smash people who antagonize me and my friends into dust, cut them into ribbons--I can always quell that reaction when I remember how much more important it was that someone was kind to me instead of mean to them. I don't even remember their faces, but I've always remembered yours, Laxus."

He stood slowly as I spoke, his eyes dangerously focused on me, some deep primal conflict in them. The lacrimae have all been destroyed and the glowing pieces are floating down around us, glimmering in the sunlight. I hear each blast of lightning and each scream accompanying it. 

"All these years, I've defended you and admired you because I remember that day, and I remember the kind of person I still believe you are, but this?" I take a stance, mirroring him, "how could someone from our guild do something so incredibly cruel? How could that kid that helped a naive little girl, protected her from some of the evil in the world, do this to his family? Do you know how much breath I've wasted trying to convince people you cared and that when push came to shove you're still family? Fuck!" I'm sobbing now, but I still meet his lightning-gilded fist with an open palm, gripping it with all my demonic strength. I can feel bones in his fist crack under the pressure, and I know he's surprised. 

"I never asked you to do that," he returns, "in fact, I told you repeatedly to stop. You don't know anything about me!"

"You're right," I say, relaxing my grip on his palm and aiming another furious punch to his diaphragm. He coughs up blood, “But I do know you didn’t want it to go this far. Some part of you, even now, is looking for any way out. You’ve just injured the entire guild at once, sure as if you shocked them yourself.”

“Quiet, woman, you don’t know anything--”

“I know enough,” I say with all the strength I can, taking myself off my injured feet and into the air. “And I’m going to stop you.”

"That's it," he says through an angry wheeze, "I'm ending this. I'm stronger than you ever knew. You'll see the extent of my power and realize who can really lead Fairy Tail to greatness."

He charges an attack, and I do the same, I rise up high and use gravity, telekinesis, and my strength to bring my heel down on his head. But there's no way I could have been prepared for what happened, my eyes are suddenly blinded by white lightning, as Laxus charges something so intense and there’s nothing to ground me. It’s too much raw power to channel. I don't even feel the scream that I'm sure is ripping from my throat. I vaguely feel myself hit the ground, but everything is numb. Natsu calls my name, and I want to tell him I’m fine, but I’m not even sure I’m alive. Laxus’s attack feels _personal_. It’s much too powerful to be driven by anything less than all of his heart and soul.

White fades to black, and I'm vaguely aware of the smell of burnt flesh rising from my body.

. . .

I fade in and out of consciousness for a minute. The feeling comes back to my fingers first, then moves throughout my body. I smell more than hear Natsu and Gajeel fighting Laxus. How much time has passed that Gajeel is here now? I need to get up. I need to join them. I feel myself rising, a dry cough pulls out of my throat.

“Stay back, Mara,” Natsu says, “we’ll take it from here.”

Even so, I’m just in the middle of the cathedral, I should at least get out of the way. It’s so hard to move. Everything hurts, my skin is healing but it still smells charred, and I can see burn marks on my elbows where the metal buckles in this godforsaken outfit Cana made me meet my skin. Lightning still crackles along my flesh.

“Focus on the fight, Natsu,” I croak. God, I sound awful. I hope Laxus doesn’t have lightning like that left anymore. 

I’m wrong though. Laxus is going basically berserk. His eyes are white hot anger, he’s raw power, and something is different about him. Scales on his arms, fangs, that smell that follows dragon slayers around, is he one too?

Laxus roars and it’s blinding. I want to jump in but there isn’t enough time to get them out of there, I’m just on the edge and the electricity is nearly enough to pull me under again. I breathe a heavy sigh of relief when I see them both alive, if not well. My telekinesis fails and I hit the ground again, but they’re _alive_ and so am I. 

Laxus is crazed. Broken. Desperate. The dragon force running through him proves as much. He’s backed himself into a corner and he can’t get out. When he charges Fairy Law, a huge part of me thinks we must all be doomed. This is it. 

“Laxus, you have to stop this now!” 

Levy?

“Your grandfather is close to death! You have to go see him before it’s too late!”

For a moment, Laxus is shocked, he stops charging the spell. I feel like I can see him again. But the moment passes. He continues on his warpath. I can’t hear it, I can’t listen to him like this. Some part of me is still active, and before I realize it, I’m standing on splintered feet in front of him.

“If you’re going to do this,” I say, meeting his eyes, scared of what I see there but proud of how evenly I’m speaking, “you’re going to watch the life you snuff out. You’re going to have a front row seat to my death, and you’re going to have to know that everyone else died just like me. Because of you. For the rest of your life.”

He growls, “you can’t even die quietly, can you? You’re worthless in every capacity, weak until the end.”

I smirk, “at least I’m good for something, I guess.”

His hands come together, and by some compulsion, I take them into mine, even as Fairy Law, even as I watch the brilliant light of the most beautiful, most deadly spell I know of pass over me. It’s heavy and warm, and nothing like the burning lightning Laxus gave off before. Is this what death by Fairy Law feels like? Because it’s not the worst way I can think of to go out. 

Sorry, dad. I tried.

. . .

When the light subsides, I’m surprised to find myself still alive. Laxus dives out of my grip like my hands are poison. I didn’t realize that the only thing holding me up was Laxus, and I fall to my knees.

“Mara, you okay?” Gajeel calls. I wave back, catching my breath. My feet bleed anew. 

Laxus staggers back, just as surprised as I am that we’re all still alive. 

“The other guild members and the citizens of Magnolia remain unharmed,” Freed says, “looks like your spell didn’t work. Not a single person was killed.”

“But that’s impossible,” Laxus says, “I cast the Fairy Law spell perfectly!”

“Maybe so,” Freed says back, exhausted and relieved to be done fighting, I think. His eyes are puffy red, “but your true feelings have betrayed you. You’ve inherited more than strength from your grandfather, deep down you also have the master’s heart. Whether you’d admit it or not, it’s evident that you care for your comrades. The Fairy Law spell only affects those the caster sees as their enemy.”

“His magic could see into his heart, and that’s why we’re still here,” Levy says. I sigh.

“That idiot,” I say, watching him unravel. What happened to him? Suddenly he seems so small.

“That’s ridiculous,” Laxus screams, suddenly seeming petulant rather than powerful, “the truth is, anyone who dares to stand in my way is my enemy.”

Laxus charges up again, and I’m in awe of his reserves. Even though Freed tries to talk him down, it doesn’t matter. I move to my feet and stumble, but Gajeel grabs me and takes me over to the entrance, away from the fight brewing between Natsu and Laxus. Freed is there, and he slides to the ground beside me when Gajeel sets me down.

“Are you okay, Mara?” he says, his soft voice so hesitant as he asks. “I can write you something, for the pain.”

“I’ll be alright, Freed, save your strength,” I say. I pat his knee and he takes my hand.

“I’m sorry, Mara,” he says, choking up, “I couldn’t stop him. I didn’t think--”

“You’re forgiven, Freed,” I say lightly, squeezing his hand, “don’t even think on it. We’ll get through this, and we’ll figure things out together as a guild.” 

Tears hit my hand, Freed is leaning over his lap, crying. I look at Laxus, bathed in angry lightning while one of his closest friends sobs alone. The breadth of pain he’s inflicted today is unbelievable. 

We have to back away further, I tap into my telekinesis and pull Freed and I away from danger, and Laxus pursues Natsu onto the roof. Laxus charges up another attack and I feel Freed tense beside me.

“No, Laxus! That much magical energy could kill him!” I look at Gajeel and he nods to me. I can’t do much but I can bring him up there. I grab Gajeel as he extends his iron fist and teleport us both into the sky near the bolt. Before he can take all of the damage into his own body, I brace and draw some of the energy into myself, channeling what I can, and taking the rest of the damage. We both hit the ground hard. I’m dizzy from the electricity and the pain, and Gajeel isn’t much better, but Natsu is fired up. 

The fight ends with Natsu completely overpowering Laxus with a series of attacks I can’t follow. We all smell like burnt flesh and dirt and sweat and a victory that doesn’t feel like winning. I help float Laxus to get patched up, everyone else limps around us. I leave a hand on his shoulder, it helps me concentrate on keeping him steady, but that’s not why I do it. I feel compelled to. 

. . .

While Porlyusica tends to everyone’s wounds, I keep to myself outside of the room to treat my own. For the most part, they’ll heal on their own, it’s just my feet I have to work through. Taking a seat on my favorite windowsill, I set my bleeding feet on a towel. Armed with a set of forceps and my running-on-empty tenacity, I set to work, pulling splinters and glass out of my bleeding feet. I don’t notice the tears streaming out of my eyes anymore than I notice the frustrated groans that leave my lips as I work through them. 

Cana is too injured to help, she’s sleeping in her bed in the infirmary. Master is out cold. There’s no one left who knows about my healing, about my demon side. After a few more frustrated moments, I set the forceps down angrily and hold my feet by their ankles, breathing deep and processing the ringing pain in them. The tears fall unbidden, and I quiet my frustrating sobbing. God, I’m so pathetic.

“Is everything okay?” Freed asks uneasily. I’m not sure how much of my freakout he saw or heard. 

“I’m fine,” I sniff through watery tears. The hurt in my feet and my heart, and overall exhaustion is catching up with me. “Just worry about getting yourself fixed up.”

“I wasn’t too injured,” he says, rubbing the back of his neck, and taking a seat in front of me. “Mostly exhausted. Do you need assistance getting to the infirmary?”

This might be the most he’s ever spoken to me. I shake my head.

“I got it. Some of the others are much more hurt than I am,” I pick up the forceps again with a shaking hand and pull a particularly jagged piece of glass out of my foot with a wince. Freed watches, eventually taking the tool out of my hands.

“At least let me help,” he says, softly, “you’re going to injure yourself more at this rate.”

It’s true, he does a much kinder job than I was. Freed writes something in the air over my feet before, numbing the pain.

“My magic isn’t always good for much beyond destruction, but sometimes it can be useful like this,” he says, a rueful smile on his face. I try not to wince as I feel the debris tugging out of my feet. Freed notices. “Is it not working?”

“It doesn’t hurt,” I say, “just feels weird, stuff coming out of my feet like that.”

“Apologies,” he says, frowning. I shake my head.

“Thank you for helping me,” I say, “I wasn’t getting much done on my own.”

If he notices my feet healing as he removes the splinters and glass, he doesn’t mention it. I’m forever grateful.

“No,” he says thoughtfully through his work, “I should be the one thanking you.”

“What for?” I ask, “In the end I wasn’t able to do much,” I reply. He shakes his head.

“You did more than you know. Laxus is going to be chewing on your words for a long time. And it’s partially because of you he’ll be able to. If any of his plans had gone the way he expected, well,” Freed hesitates, squeezing water over my foot to wash away the blood, “I don’t know that there would’ve been enough of Laxus left to consider them.”

“All I did was fuck him up a little,” I say, though the humor I intended is missing from the tone.

“It’s more than I could’ve done,” he replies.

We sit in a comfortable silence, and despite the healing wounds, Freed finishes up by tightly bandaging my feet with tender, accurate hands. 

“You’ve always been there for Laxus, even when he couldn’t appreciate it or understand it, and I’ve always been grateful to you for it. Especially now. If you need anything at all, anytime, I am at your service.” Freed smiles the most gentle smile I’ve ever seen on his face.

I don’t respond, but I’m sure my burning cheeks are enough of an answer for him. I finally choke some words out as he stands to leave.

“Thank you, Freed,” I say, turning toward the window so he can’t see the fresh tears streaking my cheeks, “for everything.”

. . .

Everyone’s shocked when he walks in, well, everyone but me. 

“Where’s the old man?” Laxus asks, his voice is quiet, subdued. A group blocks his path, angry, understandably. Erza calms them down, ever the leader. 

“He’s in the infirmary,” I say, gently. Laxus doesn’t meet my eyes. I float closer to him and push some of the others aside. “I’ll walk him up, so to speak. Don’t worry about him getting into any trouble, I’ll keep an eye on him.” I follow him, aware of my proximity, and very aware of the fresh wounds on his knuckles that aren't from the fight. His energy is calm, settled, it's the most placid I've seen him. 

Natsu is the only one who springs forward. Talking some gibberish through his bandages that lightens the mood instantly. Gajeel translates for him, somehow being able to understand him. 

"He says next time, it won't be three on one. And next time he won't lose to you."

Shit, Natsu. I watch them from my perch in the air, but Laxus keeps walking. I'm not the only one shocked when he puts one hand over his shoulder to acknowledge Natsu's challenge. " _Sure, next time_." It says. 

I follow him to the door but I don't follow him in. "Be careful not to rile him up, okay? Porlyusica says he needs to keep his heart rate steady." Laxus doesn't say anything but I know he hears me. After he enters, I float away. I know the master is going to remove him from the guild, and I don't want to intrude as he does. 

Why did you have to do this, Laxus?

. . .

The next time I see him it's from the float. He's watching the parade from afar, and to my surprise, his eyes are glistening. Before he can disappear completely, I teleport to him. I don’t let my feet touch the floor, they’re mostly healed, but still tender from all the abuse they took. Also, it would basically out my healing capabilities if I didn't at least pretend to still be injured. It isn’t lost on me that he examines my bandaged feet.

"Laxus?" he doesn't turn to me right away, though I see his shoulder adjust in a way that makes me smirk. He's wiping his eyes. "This isn't permanent, you know." I say sheepishly. "I don't think anyone, least of all Master, considers it permanent."

He doesn't say anything, but he does turn to me. I'm unable to meet his eyes. 

"Anyway," I reach into my pocket, grabbing a business card from my wallet. "In the meantime you're welcome to use my outside contact. He'll keep you in work until you come back to the guild, and probably after the fact. The jobs he'll give you can be kind of horrific, but the pay is usually really good." Laxus takes the card from my outstretched hand and considers it, "if you use him, I’ll owe you one if you can tell him I sent you. Morrison has taken care of me since my dad left, taught me all the mundane crap like paying bills and taxes and stuff and just generally helped me out a lot when I was a kid. Just want him to know I'm trying to pay back the investment." 

He doesn't say anything, but I can see him nod out of the corner of my eye. I sigh and make to go back before finishing. 

"If you need anything, you can swing by the shop. Devil May Cry down on Elm. We've got a truly obnoxious neon sign that I, inexplicably, haven’t been able to part with, so you can't miss it." I sigh, hugging myself, "take care of yourself, Laxus."

He doesn't reply, but that's alright. I teleport back to my spot on the float, and my eyes meet the master's for a moment. His eyes are wet too. He nods and I immediately start floating flowers from the bins around me with telekinesis and deliver them to children in the audience with a flourish and a smile. 

Everything will be alright. I know it will.


End file.
